Title Race Now in City’s Hands… but Arsenal’s Too

Arsenal finished as runners-up in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons. But for most of the 2025/26 campaign, Mikel Arteta’s men have looked like they will finally claim the elusive top-flight title. Unfortunately for the Gunners, their season has started to unravel before their eyes, and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are ready to take full advantage. Man City host Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday in a title six-pointer. So will it be City or the Gunners celebrating at the end of that crucial clash, and indeed at the end of the season?

The Title Race As It Stands

At the time of writing, Arsenal still enjoy a six-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table. However, perhaps crucially, Man City have a game in hand on the leaders. And, as mentioned, City host the table-toppers on Sunday. If City win both games, they will be level with Arteta’s men, probably with a better goal difference.

Arsenal have been at the top of the Premier League table ever since their 2-0 home win over West Ham back on 4th October 2025. They had the chance to all but secure the title in January as City stumbled to three draws and a defeat (to Man United) in their opening four league matches of 2026. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they also lost to Man United. They then mustered only goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

More recently, Arsenal built some momentum with four straight league wins in February and March. But then they lost the League Cup final to Man City, which seemed like a massive psychological blow. They then lost in the FA Cup to Championship side Southampton. Arguably worse, they went down 2-1 at home to Bournemouth in the league.

Meanwhile, City haven’t tasted league defeat since 17th January (Man United), with six wins and three draws since. Having won the League Cup, they hammered Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup. They followed that with an easy 3-0 away win over Chelsea in the league. City are high on confidence, and they head into Sunday’s game eager to strike a decisive blow against their title rivals.

Arsenal’s Easier Run-in Could Salvage Their Title Dreams

As mentioned, Man City have played one game fewer than Arsenal… but they have to win that game in hand to make it count. Overall, Arsenal have the easier run-in of the two sides (apart from the game at Man City, of course!).

Arsenal’s Remaining Premier League Matches

Man City’s Remaining Premier League Matches

On the face of it, Arsenal have the easier games remaining and fewer away matches. Having said that, playing at home didn’t help them against Bournemouth! But recent defeats have knocked the wind out of Arsenal’s sails. In contrast, Pep’s side are flying high and have been performing at a much higher level than the Gunners (as was evident in the League Cup final). While Arsenal look fragile and devoid of attacking creativity (set pieces aside!), City look fluent and determined. Although the Gunners are still the bookies’ favourite to take the title, that could all change on Sunday!

Do Arsenal Always Throw It Away?

As mentioned, Arsenal had to settle for second place in each of the last three seasons. Several pundits have suggested that Arsenal are bottlers and that they’ve ‘thrown the title away’ in previous seasons. But that might not be entirely fair, or indeed accurate.

Liverpool Too Good in 2024/25

In the 2024/25 campaign, for instance, Liverpool won the title by a 10-point margin ahead of Arsenal. The Gunners never made it to the top of the table at all last term, so it would be harsh to suggest they threw it away. They had a couple of poor spells, notably two defeats and two draws in October and November 2024. The Gunners also managed just five wins from their final 13 league matches. Realistically, though, Liverpool won the title, rather than Arsenal having lost it. Arsenal were simply not good enough.

Gunners Put Up Decent Fight in 2023/24… But It’s Not Quite Enough

The 2023/24 season was a different story, however. This time around, it was an appalling spell in December 2023 that cost them. They managed just two wins and a draw from their six matches in December, losing to Aston Villa, West Ham and Fulham. They lost the title to Man City by just two points. That’s despite a very strong second half of the season by Arteta’s side. Indeed, they only lost one match and drew one between January 2024 and the end of the season, winning the rest. That wasn’t enough to land the title, however. But again, it would be harsh to suggest they bottled it after that strong finish.

Gunners Can’t Press Home Advantage in 2022/23

The 2022/23 season was arguably the one in which the Gunners threw away the title. They were top of the table for 30 of the 38 game weeks, but things went awry in April 2023. Arteta’s troops had won seven league games on the spin. But they stuttered to three straight draws and then, crucially, a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad against Man City. Two more defeats in May (to Brighton and Nottingham Forest) meant the Gunners fell short by five points as Guardiola led his side to glory once again.

Do Arsenal Actually Want to Win the Title?

Given the last few seasons of falling short in the Premier League title race, questions have inevitably been raised about Arsenal’s mentality. Do they actually want to win the title, or is there some psychological blockage that is preventing them from reaching their potential? Had such questions been posed earlier in the season, they would have been brushed aside. After all, Arsenal rarely looked like conceding a goal, let alone losing games. And they were imperious in Europe, topping the Champions League league phase table with a 100% record, having scored 23 and conceded just four goals.

More recently, however, questions about the Arsenal squad’s mentality certainly appear pertinent. Ultimately, the only way we’ll get a definitive answer is if the Gunners either capitulate in the face of the current pressure or confound their critics and win the Premier League… and maybe even the Champions League too. Whatever happens, Sunday’s Man City versus Arsenal match is going to play a massive part in who wins the Premier League title.