By falling on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium (2-1) this Sunday, Arsenal lost further ground in the title race and allowed its direct competitor, Manchester City, who has a game in hand, to temporarily return to three points from its leading throne. Mentally, the blow is tough but the Gunners are still masters of their destiny and it is a safe bet that they can put in the final push to win this champion title, twenty-two years after the last.
On paper, the Citizens are in sparkling form since being knocked out of the Champions League with four consecutive wins, including two against Arteta’s men, a success against Chelsea and a victory against Liverpool. A much more pleasing record than that of Arsenal, who have won only one of their last six meetings. A fantastic reason to burst the champagne for supporters of the Skyblueswho unfurled a banner on Sunday reading “ Panic on the streets of London », a nod to a song by The Smiths, one of Manchester’s most famous rock groups.
Valuable feedback that can make the difference
However, on closer inspection, the content of the Londoners’ match was anything but bad. Arteta’s troops were valiant and could have done much better in this part, especially in the second half, if Eberechi Eze’s post (61e) then that of Gabriel (73e) had finished in the back of the net. The famous little details that make the difference but which can always be counterbalanced.
Among the good news, the long-awaited return of captain and playmaker Martin Ødegaard, absent in the last four matches due to a knee injury. His match was more than successful with a strong influence in his team’s play: player having attempted the most passes (41), created the most chances (4) and made the greatest number of recoveries (7). We must also hope for the leader of the English championship that Bukayo Saka, affected for more than a month in the Achilles tendon, returns to the pitch as quickly as possible to help his long-time club, where he has extended until 2031, to achieve its objectives. Another reason for satisfaction at the end of the season, the rise in power of Kai Havertz. Author of a very good pressing on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s blunder leading to the equalizing goal, the German, who still needs to adjust his sights and be more killer, demonstrated to his coach, in particular through his technical complementarity with his teammates, that he was a much more reliable option at the false nine position than the center forward Viktor Gyökeres, wisely sitting on the bench until the 85e minute. The Ødegaard-Havertz-Saka trio has not started a match together since December 2024. Surely an avenue that the coach of the Gunners for this exciting end of the season, if we give him the opportunity.
7 – Arsenal have suffered seven defeats in 55 matches this season, in all competitions
First 49 matches : 3 defeats
Last 6 matches : 4 defeats
Panic. pic.twitter.com/0VdYpARJsn— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 19, 2026
Five days before the end of the championship, the Basque coach, logically very disappointed by the outcome of the match, remains convinced that his team can do it. “I believe it today, I believed it on Wednesday, a week ago, because I see my players every day and I know our level, hammered the Spanish technician in the post-match conference. But today, if they needed to be more convinced, I think they are now (…) It’s a new championship now. City have a game in hand. We have a three-point lead with five games to play. So everything remains to be played. We’re not going to stop and we’re going to start again, that’s for sure » A great exercise in self-persuasion? Perhaps, but there are still positive signals in this defeat, where Arsenal showed much more serenity than in recent weeks on the ball and proved, despite the score, that they should not be buried.
A much more lenient calendar and a C1 in the viewfinder
Unlike City, Gunners are still in the Champions League and will play a semi-final in this competition for the second consecutive season. If the double confrontation against Atlético Madrid can add stress and fatigue to the Premier League leader’s squad, it is also a fantastic opportunity to regain confidence and a second wind before a final sprint which promises to be rather lenient for Arsenal. Arteta’s protégés will host Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium (14e), Fulham (12e) et Burnley, 19e and already condemned, and will move to West Ham, in the fight for maintenance (17e) et Crystal Palace (13e), who has nothing left to play. Nothing insurmountable while the Skyblues who will cross swords with three clubs fighting to qualify for European competitions: Brentford (7e), Bournemouth (8e) or Aston Villa (4e).
So yes, the lose has stuck with Arsenal in recent seasons, with failures in the money time like in 2002-2003 in the mano a mano with Manchester United or in 2022-2023 after having spent 27 days in the lead, but it is precisely in these bitter failures that we build future successes. Arteta, through the pragmatism of his game this season, understood that you did not have to be the most beautiful to win. This slap received on Sunday must absolutely be an electric shock for the Gunners, and it starts this weekend with the reception of Magpieswho remain on four consecutive losses. For those who still doubt it, no “it’s not over ».
Manchester City beats Arsenal and reignites the suspense
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