There are matches that hurt, and others that are scary. For Arsenal, the defeat at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City (2-1) in mid-April belongs to the second category. Since then, the question that has been tormenting supporters for several weeks has resurfaced with particular brutality: are the Gunners once again breaking down at the worst time?
The scenario is painful to relive. Arsenal, who were leading the Premier League with a comfortable mattress, saw City move back in front after a fatal sequence: a draw conceded at home against Bournemouth, then this defeat in Manchester on a goal from Kylian Cherki and an achievement from Erling Haaland – Kai Havertz having reduced the score for the Londoners. Result: City in front, with three points in advance and a game in hand. Five days to play. Everything remains possible, but the doubt is already well established.
Emirates under pressure, Arteta under fire
What is striking, beyond the results, is the atmosphere. The English press does not beat around the bush. The Daily Mail describes an Emirates “transformed into a double-pressure pressure cooker”, plagued by nerves and anxiety. The supporters’ boos resonate like a sentence. AFTV fans, a noisy barometer of popular mood, are getting excited. And observers from Football.London and Sky Sports bring out the cursed word: “bottling” – the art of letting go at the decisive moment.
The precedent of 2023-24 returns like a ghost. That season, Arsenal dropped the title to Bournemouth, then to Wolves, after appearing so close. The collective memory of the Gunners remains traumatized. Ten points lead evaporated: the figure circulates, haunting.
Mikel Arteta plays the card of assumed lucidity. “It’s a real blow, extremely disappointing,” he admitted after Bournemouth. We have to accept it, there is no more margin. You either fight or you’re out. » After the defeat at City, the tone was more measured but the awareness of the danger intact: “We lost one opportunity, we have five left. The key is efficiency. » Sensible words, but which struggle to reassure a base of supporters on edge.
Saliba, symbol of lasting frustration
Behind the defensive spine, the William Saliba case crystallizes a deeper frustration. The French central defender, one of the best in Europe in his position, carries this sentence like a burden: “always second. » No earth-shattering statement this week, but his mere presence in the debate says everything about the feeling in the locker room — that of a team wondering if it will ever be able to overcome the final obstacle.
Thierry Henry himself came out with a public warning, warning Arteta about the club’s recurring demons.
Five finals to make history… or repeat it
Arsenal is not dead. Five days is an eternity in the Premier League, and City are not infallible. But the psychological balance of power has shifted. The Gunners approach the home stretch no longer as hunters, but as prey – with the certainty that the slightest misstep will be amplified, scrutinized, compared.
The 2025-26 Arsenal story is still being written. But its authors tremble a little when holding the pen.
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