Like many Gooners, I had this past weekend pencilled in for being a decisive couple of days in the title race.
If we could beat Sunderland, we knew we would send Man City to Anfield 24 hours later, nine points behind us.
Pep Guardiola has had better versions who have struggled to win at Liverpool, let alone with the pressure of even a draw not being good enough. Out of Bernardo Silva’s own mouth, one of their leaders was saying that usually 1-1 on the red half of Merseyside is a decent result, but on Sunday, the visitors felt their fight for the Championship would be over without a win.
City shows character
Any kind of victory would have been a statement, but if their manager could have written the perfect route to victory, it would have been this. With 10 minutes to go, 1-0 down, the Spaniard was slumped in his chair. A lot of teams in that situation go through the motions. It took character to do what City did. Coached by a winner, Pep will know there is so much about the closing stages he can use to make his men believe they can now put together a winning sequence.
The 55-year-old knows the key advantage he has over Mikel Arteta is a dressing room that knows how to get over the line in April / May.
Some of my peers have tried to downplay this as having any impact on Arsenal, yet I sense they protest too much.
Uneasy feeling
It’s rare to feel dread and an uneasy feeling in your stomach when your team is not even playing. It did feel like it was the Gunners who had conceded in stoppage time.
Now, if City win on Wednesday, we go to Brentford on Thursday with the gap at three points. That’s how quickly momentum can change in top-level sport.
It would take us to then blink before our rivals for Mr Guardiola to point out that with the leaders still to visit the Etihad (where Arteta has never won), it really wouldn’t take a lot for the Premiership to go back to Manchester.
Dan Smith
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It’s all talkabout glass half empty on here.
Give it a rest ffs.
Agree entirely with that…..
Just as well the script writer does not run a bookie shop !!
Here we go again!
CBD
As Chris Humphrey above has pointed out, glass half full v glass half empty. Heaven forbid the season had been neck and neck. Are we as people that fragile that we can’t go into the Brentford game believing in the players to show their best side?
Yes Sue I predicted we would win
That what it’s about Dan. If we can’t believe in our team then heaven help the players who need our backing to cross the line.
I’m away so haven’t been watching but if my family says that Liverpool and City were not really any better than each other and Allison makes a terrible mistake that alters the outcome, then I have to believe that there are still difficulties facing City.
@Sue P
🎯 👍🏾
I just trust City mentality more in a run in which is why are best bet is to increase lead before the final say 7 games
I think some don’t realise how tricky it is to get over the line
I did not see any exceptional performance from either team. May be some luck on the part of MC.
It’s a fair point but given how exceptional Arsenal have been on all fronts this season, I think calling Man City “Favourites” after 1 win against an iffy Liverpool is a bit premature. Yes their experience in getting over-the-line is important and it’s certainly a worry for us, but so far so good for Arsenal. 6 points and better goal difference feels like it could be enough because Arsenal have been both resourceful and resilient this season.
Arsenal – 52% chance.
Man City – 48% chance.
I believe this team has added a bit more maturity this season and that will help us get over the line this time.
We will know on Thursday the strength of their maturity and mentality then we will have a better understanding of what to expect for the remaining 12 games.
Not according to the bookmakers. They make Arsenal red hot favourites, even after the amazing weekend that city didn’t manage to improve their position. Arsenal 1/4 city 17/4. My bookmaker rides around in a Ferrari, the punters turn up on push bikes. Arsenal are red hot favourites.
If you are that confident Dan, the odds in a two horse race are as good as you will get ever on City, put your shirt and your house on it.
saying a team are slight favourites mate is not me saying I’m confident
Ill put a bet on us not winning CL if you want say 500 pounds ?
That wasn’t the question?
well it actually is lol
I’m saying I’m. not confident enough to take that bet . I win lots of bets. There’s more things I’m confident on then the title race
because Arsenal of course could win it by a healthy margain
it’s if it’s close is April/ May I would be worried
Follow the money! People prepared to back their judgement, whether misguided or not, with hard earned cash.
not really
if you followed the money In the summer everyone would have betted on Liverpool and lost
like last season if you betted on Man City or Arsenal you would have lost
For me the key to their tittle push would be Halland, him firing all cylinders would be huge in their push. Without him finding his form, they’re not good enough to challenge.
But Arsenal are firing all cylinders now, with Havertz in the side they’re becoming more ruthless. But will Havertz maintain this form, despite being not full fit? Time will tell how Arsenal cope/play away from home in the next 3 games.
I would believe the odds given by the bookmakers who deal with real money, not emotions and feelings.
IF City win, it is because we capitulated again, because we lost and dropped points; City can’t win without us dropping points.
IF City overtake us and we don’t win the title, then Arteta should be fired immediately. 4 straight years of finishing 2nd, and collapsing 3 years in a row, buck stops with the manager; his selections, tactics, and decisions.
However, I believe we win this year, in fact I believe we will widen the gap and finish above City with a double digit lead. City are more fragile than ever, and I think they fall short.
City favorites? How counter-intuitive is this?
A team trailing in 2nd place, still lack the consistency we show, and are somehow favorites? Leave the emotions and feelings out of it.
Agree with most of what you put.
In 2022 – 23 season guess who were favourites
The season after when Liverpool lost to Palace guess who were favourites
Didn’t many say we were favourites last season at a certain point to win CL
Were we not favourites to beat Newcastle over two legs
Did you make Man United favourites to beat us a couple of weeks ago
So no dude , a bookies favourites means nothing
Were Liverpool not faves to retain Prem?
Were City and Arsenal not more faves then Liverpool last season at the start ?
We watch Arsenal every week so what do we know / not know
Can they get over the line in a run in
We know City can
So my hope is by April / May the gap is bigger then 6 points else I worry
City could, once upon a time. Can you honestly look at this City squad and think they are going on a 10 game or more winning streak? They are the most inconsistent since Pep took over managing at City.
City beat Liverpool after Allison had a town-sized brain fart to gift them the penalty.
I am talking about 38 games over the season, not a single game here or there that proves nothing. If that is the case, who figured we would route Ath Madrid in CL? Who though Bayern would get handled by us the way they were? Remember we whipped City 4-1?
My examples are no more relevant than yours, because we are talking over the season, not a single cherry-picked match.
Either way, we will see at the end of the season, won’t we?
wasn’t cherry picking
was giving examples how because the bookies say Arsenal are favourites doesn’t actually mean much
who’s to say City have to win all games
let’s say Arsenal draw with a Brentford or a Brighton and between now and we go to Ethiad both slip up so let’s say it’s 4 points and City beat us then it’s 1
your honestly saying you know Arsenal won’t choke if that happenes
hence why I said since Xmas if Arsenal win title it will be by a big margain but if we get to April / May and it’s 6, honestly mate it’s take one set of result for momentum to change
That’s why Sunday was huge for City
City lose Sunday and for example a point at Brentford is not end of world, now it wouldn’t be great
You are making scenarios up? Its all fictitious nonsense.
“IF,” Daniel, as you say.
Even if your example plays out, City would still have to win almost every game to get and stay in front, right?
Pity you have more faith in the ghost of City’s past than the consistency Arsenal have shown this year.
I actually agree mate
like I said my hope is we grow the gap to avoid having to find out
3 seasons ago Arsenal had a 5 point lead with 13 games to go …..the title race was was over with like 3 games left
we drew with West Ham, Saints and lost to Brighton and Forest and yes lost at the Etihad
So this Idea that 6 points is mountain trust me isn’t
you need to go look it up
I do think some of you are being sensitive and seeing this as an attack .It’s more a case of being humble and slow down
Because yes if it’s 5 games to and say it’s 5 points I have more faith in players who know how to get over the line compared to those who don’t
I see what you are saying Dan, and I apologize if you took my comments as an attack, it was not my intention. As far as that Arsenal squad 3 years ago, I don’t think anyone is surprised that they choked. Even the following year we choked again.
How much is inexperience, injuries, lack of depth, we can have that debate. However, this year’s squad is nothing like our squad 3 year’s ago is quality, talent, and depth. For that matter, this year’s City squad is weaker than their squad 3 years ago.
I think their positions have reversed; Arsenal better talent and depth, and City is the “not quite” squad in my opinion.
not at all mate
never apologise for your opinion dude
So now if Arsenal lose a match it is “capitulating” and if they lose out in a title race it is “choking”. Does this apply only to Arsenal or do you people have the same energy for any team that does not win a given match or loses out in a title challenge?
David, you left out ‘bottling’. Some supporters, eh!
Thought it was implied for this year, who said capitulation after 1 match?
Your whole comment is based off ignoring the context of the conversation.
Do you miss all the comments about Liverpool collapsing this year? Also missed the comments about City coming up short this time?
Read through this thread and you will get your answer about people’s energy regarding other teams.
As for choking, what would you call sitting top of the table yet again and not getting it over the line?
My own comments are directly related to the comments you made.
Arsenal had a record of w16 D1(to MC) L1 during a run in. According to you this is “choking”. You now seem to drawing parallels between what happened to Arsenal then and Liverpool’s current situation. How are they in any way comparable?
You people are all too happy to rubbish the team you claim to support when things don’t turn out as hoped. In addition, there is a rush to apportion blame without properly considering the context.
depends if it’s nearly every season
If they are so good at getting over the line,how come they didn’t do it last season? For me it’s simple: Arsenal has been the most consistent team in the league from the start of the season, just like Liverpool were,last season. Consistency counts for more than “knowing how to get over the line”.
City haven’t been consistent and no one can convince me that all of a sudden they are going to turn into something they havent been since 2024! 5 draws and 5 losses tells a better story than their lucky win against Liverpool.It’s not like City dominated the game. Alison made an error .
Good points you make, and let me ask you this question;
“Is the City squad this year capable of going on a 12 game winning run to end the season like in years past?”
I say no; they are far far too inconsistent to pull that off, especially with their iffy form of late. I agree, a comeback win against Liverpool when Allison gifted them a penalty is not a harbinger of City going on one of their patented runs.
They lack the consistency to sustain a run to overtake us, in fact I think they will fall behind and trail by double digits when the season ends.
Onyango,
Yes they didn’t get across the line last season, but the four before they did. So I think they can have a slip up here and there.
which is why I said mate if we can make a big gap like Liverpool did we don’t have to worry about dealing with the run it
that’s my only fear , City can cope with having to win their last say 6 games , Arsenal we don’t know that
Stupid headline
The way Utd are playing there’s more chance of them fighting it out with us .
It’s been an awful season in terms of entertainment and I cannot see city getting close to us now as they blow hot and cold .
Think we will take it by 6 points come the end of the season
I think it’s probably quite close at the moment, what I will say is our next 5 fixtures are tricky and Citys look more straight forward. No easy games still but we need a strong showing in these fixtures, any dropped points and there will be blood in the water that City can smell
Our next 5 EPL games:
Brentford
Wolves
Spurs
Chelsea
Brighton
City’s next 5 EPL games:
Fulham
Newcastle
Leeds
Forest
West Ham
We have 4 away games out of the 5 you mentioned,
For me the only reason that some can say that City are slight favorites is because they’ve crossed the winning line already. Something we have failed to do up to now.
But it’s a close call overall. There may be a few more bumps on the run in, but as long as we can ride those bumps better than City, then say it quietly this could just be our season. 😉🤞👍
Well done mate
You get it lol
My reply would be , so what?
Liverpool crossed the line twice in the last 6/7 years but I don’t know anybody predicting that they will come up on the rails to win. Yet City do.
because Liverpool are 17 points behind us not 6 lol
if Man City were 17 points behind I would say it’s over
After an undeserved win at Anfield, they all of a sudden become the truth. I don’t know if this claim is born out of PTSD, but i’m confident that whatever point we drop, City will drop twice as much. They should be hopeful of a top 4 finish, rather than finishing ahead of us. Let’s keep up the good work on our side and see the title clinched by wide margin. COYG!
Undeserved win !
Fcking good one ,spoken like a true ignorant Arsenal fan and not a football fan .
Every stat was in city’s favour ,take those blinkers off ,something a few others on this forum should do .
Unfortunately for you, i saw the game not the stats. Liverpool could’ve easily won the game had some refreeing decisions been correctly called. Right from the last man foul on Salah to the penalty awarded against Liverpool, that won City the game.
Ok ,you saw the game !
Honestly sometimes ,you just have to think to yourself ,”what world do some people live in “.
Hey I don’t mean to bash you ,I really don’t but for goodness sake get with it buddy .
As for the ref and Var city should have won by a bigger margin
They didn’t dominate the game as you’re trying to make out. In no time before their equalizer would anyone truly feel they will come out that game with max points. Refreeing decisions going their way got them the points. They didn’t contain Liverpool at all. Got to give a shout out to their goalkeeper, who was also key to that win, otherwise they coming out with a point at best.
when did he say City dominated
it’s actually you who’s saying Liverpool could have easily won game if not for officials ( which calls are you saying we’re wrong ) and that win was underserved
That’s equally not what I watched
At no point were Liverpool winning that game easily
“Every state was in City’s favour” is another way to imply dominance. As for the bad calls I gave two good examples along with the fact their goalkeeper had to bail them out on several occasions. Guehi should’ve seen red, Rodri should have been penalised, same with Benardo Silva.
Vamos,
Why should Guehi have seen red?. There was a covering defender, just because Slot came out and said that Salah scores in that position doesn’t make it true.
Clearly, he was through on goal. The “covering defender” was considerably far off the incident. I remember wilo getting sent off for similar incident at Bournemouth last season. And yes, slot was right. It’s Salah we are talking about here.
Vamos,
Come on now, a bit of selective memory from yourself there. The Saliba incident took place near the Centre circle.
The covering defender was nearer to Salah and would have had a better chance of covering him. It certainly wasn’t as clear as the Saliba one.
nah was coming in from the side so still work to do
it’s Salah we are talking about ?
A reff can’t let that alter his thinking
how many Prem goals does Salah have anyway this season ?
“having a better chance” don’t take away the fact a goalscoring chance was denied. He let’s Salah step an inch he puts it past Donarrumma.
nah there is enough there to take away the obvious
he’s out on the right so would need to cut inside / cut back or take a touch , at which point the defender might meet him.
So not an obvious goal scoring opportunity for me
Arsenal have to be favourites as they have the points on the board. MC didn’t win any titles last season and several of the key players who were part of their title wining squads have left.
Arsenal also have a stronger squad than they have had in the last two seasons.
Of course, the title race isn’t done so we will have to see how things play out.
The most important reason MC still have a chance is related to the strengthening of their squad in key areas during the last transfer window. If don’t lose more players and others return from injury they may be able to sustain a credible title run.
The talk about them having got over the line before is a lot of waffle. If you don’t have the players you ain’t winning anything. Even MC found that out last season.
😂
David,
That was only once in five seasons that City didn’t get over the line. Remind me, how many times have we got over that line in the last five seasons. 🤔
DEREK
How many times did:
1. Man City get over the line before 2012?
2. Leicester City get over the line before 2016?
3. Chelsea get over the Champions League line before beating Bayern Munich in 2012?
You guys are so obsessed with this so called getting over the line.
A season is never defined by what happened in the past. It’s defined by how consistent a team is throughout the season
disagree mate
Man City being able to know they have players who can handle that pressure is huge compared to Arsenal players who know they fail when it matters
Freddy,
A season is never defined by what happened in the past. It’s defined by how consistent a team is throughout the season, you say.
Well we were consistent in the seasons 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 season. Please remind me, did we get over the line.
As far as Manchester City being favourites, who with? What do the odds from the bookmakers say?
Arsenal have to concentrate on their own play, one game at time. Keep winning and its “all over red rover”!
Last time I looked the table still showed a 6 point (2 wins) advantage to Arsenal.
We still have to go to The Etihad for what used to be known as a ‘six-pointer’. I think we’ll still win the PL, but it will be closer than it is right now.
Man City have an advantage over Arsenal because they have winners?
Raya, Zubimendi and Merino – Euro Champions
Rice- Conference league Champion
Pierro – Bundelisga Champion
Eze, Saka, Martinelli- FA Cup champions
Martinelli – Olympic gold medallist
Gyokeres – Primeira Liga Champion
Saliba- World Cup runners up
Arsenal are still the favourites and they will win the league
well I think the argument is getting over the line in a Prem title race