Man City and Arsenal are producing a title race for the ages

Football writer Alex Keble assesses Sunday’s epic encounter at the Etihad Stadium between title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, and what it means for the Premier League title race.

The title race isn’t done yet, not by a long shot. There are still five rounds of the 2025/26 Premier League season remaining and on the basis of this thrilling, breathless, and at times end-to-end encounter there will be more twists and turns ahead.

But Manchester City have just about seized the initiative. Erling Haaland’s second-half winner means that if Pep Guardiola’s side win at Burnley on Wednesday they will go top of the table. They are three days away from reeling Arsenal in.

City were the better team in the second half yet the match really could have gone either way. It often comes down to fine margins in football but not always quite this razor thin, with Arsenal twice hitting the post in the second half – Eberechi Eze’s long-range strike dribbling agonisingly across the goal line and Kai Havertz missing a good headed chance in the final seconds.

It wasn’t to be for the visitors, who have now lost consecutive Premier League games for the first time since December 2023 and four of their last six matches in all competitions, after losing just three of their first 49 matches of the season.

Three days from now, they might have lost their place at the top of the table too.

Man City will firmly believe an epic comeback is on

Arsenal’s nine-point gap to Man City seemed to hold for an age; through most of March and well into April. It has all-but disappeared in the blink of an eye.

This was by no means a collapse – the Gunners were bold and assertive, much-improved from last weekend’s defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth – yet the end result is a quietly confident Man City believing, having done it so many times before, that they can go all the way now.

Watch: Man City’s full-time celebrations v Arsenal

Guardiola has never lost a Premier League title race when Man City have been in the mix with 10 games remaining. Whenever he has been in one he has come out on top, whether as the chaser or one being chased: six out of six. That explains the freedom of Rayan Cherki in recent games while Arsenal have hesitated.

So, City hold the cards (just about, on goal difference or goals scored if they beat Burnley) but the perception they are now favourites isn’t quite right.

Man City’s recent results and upcoming fixtures

For the first time in years the Premier League has a straight shootout between two teams likely, come next weekend, to be locked on points and virtually locked on goal difference with five rounds to go.

It could not be any closer. Get ready for an exhilarating final month of the campaign.

Haaland v Gabriel sums up a game of key battles

The winning goal neatly summed up the 90 minutes at the Etihad in a number of ways, but most prominently in the manner it saw Haaland decisively come out on top in a brilliant match-long tussle with Gabriel.

Grappling and wrestling from the outset, their head-to-head culminated in the two players squaring up like rutting stags, this after Haaland had his undershirt ripped by the Arsenal centre-back – and after Haaland had outmanoeuvred his marker to smash home the winner (below).

Two titans, locked in a scrap, the man in City blue coming out on top: that was the game in the nutshell.

The winning goal also captured some of the subtler tactical themes. Too often Jeremy Doku got the better of Cristhian Mosquera and he did, decisively, to help set up Haaland’s strike. Similarly Nico O’Reilly had starred throughout as the extra man in midfield, inverting from left-back to drive through the lines, and again this occurred in the build-up to the goal.

Elsewhere, Cherki was once again outstanding, while Bernardo Silva dominated from the base of midfield, dictating the tempo with the ball and without it, via impressive defending and constant orchestration of his team-mates.

Arsenal’s aggression creates a thriller worthy of Pep-Klopp days

But we should not diminish Arsenal’s role in this match. They were composed and smart, pressing excellently to force several good chances, not least Havertz’s goal, when the harassing paid off via a mistake by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

In fact, had Arsenal’s two second-half shots that hit the post gone in, neutrals would be applauding an outstanding performance of champions-elect.

Instead, Arteta may be left ruing the fact his team could not put in a similar performance to this one in the 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.

The more hopeful take is that Arsenal have proved at the Etihad that they are not going out with a whimper; that they have the skill, the mettle, and the progressive mindset to fight toe-to-toe with the very best of them.

With the Premier League title still very much up for grabs, and a Champions League semi-final to look forward to, Sunday’s performance is reason for cautious optimism.

Arsenal very much played their part in a brilliant game of football: a title clash worthy of the classic Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola battles of old.

On the basis of Sunday’s game, there is plenty more to come in what’s turning out to be a title race for the ages.

“If they needed to be convinced, I think today they are convinced,” Arteta said of his players’ performance and ability to win the title. “It’s a new league now. Everything is still to play for.”