Manchester City went into Monday night’s match against Everton with the knowledge that only a win would be enough to extend Arsenal’s six-point lead in the Premier League summit clash.
Manchester City’s title hopes have been dealt a huge blow by Everton (Image: Stu Forster)
No one, not even Arsenal, expected Manchester City to quietly fight for the title.
And that may still be the case after they managed to salvage a second-half collapse away to Everton. But it was a two point drop from City’s point of view, and it was like a bolt out of the blue.
Monday night’s game was essentially must-win territory, with Arsenal quickly taking six points to move into the top of the table since City last played a Premier League game. It’s not completely insurmountable, but it’s important enough now that the match list is sparse.
City have already upset Arsenal once, showing their ability to make a comeback in the title race. But after a painful 3-3 draw on Merseyside, that advantage suddenly looked even stronger. The irony is that it looked the same as always. We all know that Josep Guardiola’s side come alive when spring blooms, but no one is more aware of that than Arsenal, who have so far been left on the canvas in the Championship round by their familiar foes.
read more: Mikel Arteta confirms return for Atletico Madrid second leg, Arsenal’s injury numbers doubleread more: Premier League cult hero suffers horror injury after abandoning match and upset wife
It took City 43 minutes to make the breakthrough, but they were coming close. Jeremy Doku gave City the honor after the half had passed since his knock on the door, briefly halving Arsenal’s lead at the top with a powerful swing of his left boot.
From the Gunners’ point of view, this was one of the games where City were more likely to fail on paper. And it was proven. The second half was shaky. Terrible. Marc Guehi gifted Tierno Barry with an almighty, unconcentrating equalizer. The type where you can bet on the league title.
Mark Guehi consoled after making a costly mistake (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA)
Then, five minutes later, Jake O’Brien headed home from an Everton corner, completely reversing the course of the game and the Premier League title race. After Barry scored three goals, Erling Haaland gave City a lifeline by reducing their arrears. Then, when the team needed him, Doc stepped in to get another great shot.
Doc’s magic may have saved face, but the damage was still done. Only time will tell if that is the end of City’s quest for another national title.
Jeremy Doku scores a must-see goal to save a draw between Manchester City and Everton (Image: Stu Forster)
The away trip to Bournemouth in the coming weeks will be a real test of Guardiola’s restructured side and their mettle, but with an eye on the future European finals, we would expect them to be fine at home against a Crystal Palace side. Chelsea away won’t be as daunted as in previous years, but Aston Villa are also just yards away from the goal line.
I’ve seen City overturn five-goal deficits in the blink of an eye during festive or famine seasons.
However, Arsenal will also be hoping for a chance to finish the season unscathed. And what happened this weekend means they, not City, are in control of their own destiny.
number of games remaining
Arsenal: West Ham (A), Burnley (H), Crystal Palace (A)
Manchester City: Brentford (H), Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (A), Aston Villa (H)
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
