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02/19 06:38 CST 11 days that blew the Premier League title race wide open
11 days that blew the Premier League title race wide open
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Sports Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- On Feb. 7 Arsenal players walked off the field
after a convincing 3-0 home win against Sunderland with their lead in the
Premier League at nine points.
Then things started to go wrong.
By the time Arsenal takes the field in Sunday's north London derby against
Tottenham, its advantage over second-placed Manchester City could be just two
points.
Over a bruising 11-day period, what was beginning to look like a procession
towards a first league title in 22 years was now far less certain. The momentum
has shifted in the direction of City, which has very recent form for chasing
down Arsenal in the final straight.
Having led the way for so long this season, Arsenal is melting again in the
heat of the title race.
The turning point If City goes on to win a seventh title in nine years, its dramatic 2-1 victory against Liverpool will likely go down as the defining moment of the season. Playing at Anfield a day after Arsenal extended its lead to nine points, Pep Guardiola's chasers simply couldn't afford not to win. Given City had won just one of its previous 23 visits to Anfield, that looked unlikely. So unlikely that one bookmaker paid out on Arsenal being crowned champion even before kickoff. And when Liverpool took a 1-0 lead in the 74th minute, City's race effectively looked to be run. What followed was a chaotic finish that included a winning penalty from Erling Haaland in stoppage time. The gap to Arsenal was shaved back to six points but the result felt far more significant than that.
It's all about perception The league schedule meant City played again before Arsenal's next match and had the chance to further reduce the deficit to three points. A comfortable 3-0 home win against Fulham did just that, and despite Arsenal having not kicked a ball since its victory against Sunderland, suddenly the feeling was that the Gunners were on shaky ground. In reality the nine-point advantage was only ever provisional, as City had a game in hand, but the perception was that the title race took a big swing. That perception became far more tangible when Arsenal, playing in the final game of the round that week, was held to 1-1 at Brentford after being a goal up.
Scheduling issues If playing after everyone else seemed to work against Arsenal last week, on Wednesday it had the chance to regain the momentum from a rearranged game against last-placed Wolves. Leading 2-0 after 56 minutes at Molineux, Arsenal was cruising towards a nerve-settling win. Wolves had other ideas and teenage debutant Tom Edozie scored in the fourth minute of added time to achieve a stunning draw. "It's time to talk on the pitch because anything that we say right now comes from anger, frustration, disappointment, and there's nothing coming through that is going to benefit and help the team going forward," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. Arsenal is five ahead of City but played a game more. City can cut the lead to two points again with a win against Newcastle on Saturday.
Two teams, four trophies Arsenal and City are still chasing a clean sweep of trophies; Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and English League Cup. They meet in the League Cup final next month, which could have a psychological impact on the title race. City already holds an advantage in that respect given it twice chased down Arsenal to win the title in 2023 and 2024. There are echoes of those campaigns this term; Arsenal led the standings for the majority of those seasons and is stuttering. They play each other at City's Etihad Stadium in April and, peculiarly, the title is now in both teams' hands. If City wins all of its remaining games it will be crowned champion. Arsenal needs to avoid defeat at City and win its remaining games to claim the title. "(It's) time to focus on ourselves, improve our standards and improve our performances and it is in our control," Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka said.
Key matchups The north London derby will have implications at the top and bottom of the standings. Arsenal is challenging for the titl while Tottenham --- under new coach Igor Tudor --- is in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle. Manchester United plays Everton on Monday looking to continue its upward trajectory under coach Michael Carrick.
Players to watch
Anthony Gordon scored four times in Newcastle's Champions League win against Qarabag on Wednesday. He could be the biggest threat to City at the Etihad.
Out of action Liverpool's Watara Endo is out for "a long time" following an unspecified injury against Sunderland. Teammate Jeremie Frimpong is also out of the game against Nottingham Forest. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz face tests before being cleared to play against Tottenham.
Off the field United plays Everton in its first game since co-owner Jim Ratcliffe triggered a storm of criticism by saying Britain had been "colonized" by immigrants. United and its supporters were among those who rebuked Ratcliffe over his "offensive" comments. The fans could further let their feelings be known during Monday's game. ___ James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The turning point If City goes on to win a seventh title in nine years, its dramatic 2-1 victory against Liverpool will likely go down as the defining moment of the season. Playing at Anfield a day after Arsenal extended its lead to nine points, Pep Guardiola's chasers simply couldn't afford not to win. Given City had won just one of its previous 23 visits to Anfield, that looked unlikely. So unlikely that one bookmaker paid out on Arsenal being crowned champion even before kickoff. And when Liverpool took a 1-0 lead in the 74th minute, City's race effectively looked to be run. What followed was a chaotic finish that included a winning penalty from Erling Haaland in stoppage time. The gap to Arsenal was shaved back to six points but the result felt far more significant than that.
It's all about perception The league schedule meant City played again before Arsenal's next match and had the chance to further reduce the deficit to three points. A comfortable 3-0 home win against Fulham did just that, and despite Arsenal having not kicked a ball since its victory against Sunderland, suddenly the feeling was that the Gunners were on shaky ground. In reality the nine-point advantage was only ever provisional, as City had a game in hand, but the perception was that the title race took a big swing. That perception became far more tangible when Arsenal, playing in the final game of the round that week, was held to 1-1 at Brentford after being a goal up.
Scheduling issues If playing after everyone else seemed to work against Arsenal last week, on Wednesday it had the chance to regain the momentum from a rearranged game against last-placed Wolves. Leading 2-0 after 56 minutes at Molineux, Arsenal was cruising towards a nerve-settling win. Wolves had other ideas and teenage debutant Tom Edozie scored in the fourth minute of added time to achieve a stunning draw. "It's time to talk on the pitch because anything that we say right now comes from anger, frustration, disappointment, and there's nothing coming through that is going to benefit and help the team going forward," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. Arsenal is five ahead of City but played a game more. City can cut the lead to two points again with a win against Newcastle on Saturday.
Two teams, four trophies Arsenal and City are still chasing a clean sweep of trophies; Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and English League Cup. They meet in the League Cup final next month, which could have a psychological impact on the title race. City already holds an advantage in that respect given it twice chased down Arsenal to win the title in 2023 and 2024. There are echoes of those campaigns this term; Arsenal led the standings for the majority of those seasons and is stuttering. They play each other at City's Etihad Stadium in April and, peculiarly, the title is now in both teams' hands. If City wins all of its remaining games it will be crowned champion. Arsenal needs to avoid defeat at City and win its remaining games to claim the title. "(It's) time to focus on ourselves, improve our standards and improve our performances and it is in our control," Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka said.
Key matchups The north London derby will have implications at the top and bottom of the standings. Arsenal is challenging for the titl while Tottenham --- under new coach Igor Tudor --- is in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle. Manchester United plays Everton on Monday looking to continue its upward trajectory under coach Michael Carrick.
Players to watch
Anthony Gordon scored four times in Newcastle's Champions League win against Qarabag on Wednesday. He could be the biggest threat to City at the Etihad.
Out of action Liverpool's Watara Endo is out for "a long time" following an unspecified injury against Sunderland. Teammate Jeremie Frimpong is also out of the game against Nottingham Forest. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz face tests before being cleared to play against Tottenham.
Off the field United plays Everton in its first game since co-owner Jim Ratcliffe triggered a storm of criticism by saying Britain had been "colonized" by immigrants. United and its supporters were among those who rebuked Ratcliffe over his "offensive" comments. The fans could further let their feelings be known during Monday's game. ___ James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
