We’re in the home stretch of the Premier League season, and Arsenal are back in control of their title hopes despite turning their catbird seat into a dog-eat-dog scrap for the title.
The Gunners lost 2-1 at Man City and went second on the table, but have gone back in front after City drew Everton 3-3 and the Gunners narrowly beat Newcastle.
MORE — Premier League fixtures & results | Current table
Arsenal control their own destiny with a five-point lead and one match to play, while City have two matches left to play but can do nothing to stop the Gunners if Mikel Arteta’s men can beat Crystal Palace away on Championship Sunday — a Palace side looking at a Conference League Final within days of their Week 38 PL match.
Cup wins and losses have simplified the schedules of both title race leaders Arsenal and chasers Manchester City, as the Gunners are out of the FA Cup while Man City have exited the Champions League.
Oh, and Arsenal endured an almost unthinkable slump to give City the keys to the title fight.
MORE — Man City overwhelm Arsenal | Player ratings | Arteta reaction | Guardiola reaction
It may be possible that mid-80s is set to become the new points norm for a champion of the deepest top division the football world’s seen in its celebrated history.
Winners with 90+ point totals became more normal over the past decade, but the depth of competition is so strong that the three centurions (Chelsea once, Man City twice) of the past decade or so already feel like outliers.
Arsenal remaining schedule
May 24 at Crystal Palace
May 30 Champions League Final vs PSG
Man City remaining schedule
May 19 at Bournemouth
May 24 vs Aston Villa
Premier League title race projected point totals
- Arsenal — 85 points
- Man City — 83 points
City going on an 8-game heater was a big ask and they’ve drawn with Everton to hand control to Arsenal. If the Gunners don’t drop any more points — and they may not — there’s no hope for City. Goal differential could very well matter here and Arsenal’s fixture list gives them more chances to do that. Recently we’ve seen the more open Gunners we’ve wanted for most of the season with a big win over Fulham. That said, Arsenal can simply focus on a winnable “final” prior to their Champions League finale. It doesn’t feel like they’ll open the door, does it?
