Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal’s necks after Erling Haaland’s second-half strike secured a 2-1 victory on Sunday, landing a potentially decisive blow in the Premier League title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side now trail the leaders by just three points with a game in hand, as momentum swings emphatically in their direction while Arsenal’s quest for a first league title in 22 years threatens to unravel.
Defeat to City in the League Cup final last month has triggered a run of just one win in six matches across all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s men, including four consecutive domestic losses. Victory over relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday would take City to the top of the table for the first time this year.
After finishing as runners-up for the past three seasons, Arsenal risk letting another huge opportunity to end their long championship drought slip away. They will also rue their luck after twice striking the woodwork either side of Haaland’s winner.
Following Rayan Cherki’s stunning solo effort to open the scoring, City gifted Arsenal a route back into the game when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s attempted clearance was charged down by Kai Havertz, who equalised. However, the difference in attacking quality proved decisive.
Haaland pounced to sweep in his 34th goal of the season with 25 minutes remaining, before Havertz headed over a glorious chance deep into stoppage time.
City preyed on Arsenal’s anxiety during a blistering start. Cherki’s deflected shot struck the post, and City’s appeals for a handball penalty against Gabriel Magalhães were waved away. The visitors were just gaining a foothold when a moment of magic from Cherki pried open Arsenal’s famously stubborn defence, the French international dancing past Gabriel and Declan Rice before coolly slotting into the bottom corner.
Yet Arsenal were handed an immediate lifeline thanks to Donnarumma’s error. The giant Italian, who tormented Arteta’s side in last season’s Champions League semi-finals while at Paris Saint-Germain, dallied on the ball and allowed Havertz to charge down his clearance into the net.
The nature of the equaliser knocked City off their stride, and it took Guardiola’s half-time team talk to restore control. Haaland should have scored when he hit the post after Arsenal failed to clear a corner.
Then came two moments that may haunt Arsenal should they fail to end their long wait. Donnarumma redeemed himself with a vital save to deny Havertz one-on-one, before Martin Ødegaard’s follow-up was hooked off the line by Matheus Nunes. Moments later, Eberechi Eze struck the inside of the post, the ball rolling agonisingly along the line rather than into the net.
City capitalised on that fortune to retake the lead. Haaland outmuscled Gabriel to meet Nico O’Reilly’s cross, hooking past David Raya. Arsenal were denied by the woodwork once more when Gabriel’s header deflected off O’Reilly onto the post, and Havertz failed to turn in the rebound.
Gabriel was fortunate to stay on the pitch after an attempted headbutt on Haaland drew only a yellow card. Arsenal had a late chance to level when Havertz connected sweetly with Leandro Trossard’s cross, but he could not keep his header down. Arteta fell to the ground in disbelief, now tasked with rallying his players for the final five games of the campaign. Arsenal face a kinder run on paper, but appear to have run out of steam when it matters most.
