A telling week in the title race
Arsenal and Manchester City are the two teams left standing in this season’s title race.
Liverpool’s poor run of form continued on Saturday with a draw away at West Ham.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Manchester City both secured three points on Sunday, leaving Liverpool five and four points behind the pair respectively.
Liverpool’s defensive woes continue
Saturday saw Liverpool’s title hopes take another crucial blow.
Just as it they have done all season long, they conceded first at the London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring from a corner kick routine minutes before halftime, heading the ball home after finding himself unmarked in the box.
Andy Robertson equalised for the Reds shortly after the break with a snapshot effort that caught Alphonse Areola by surprise.
Liverpool then took the lead thanks to an own goal in the 65th minute, but failed to protect their lead.
It took West Ham only 12 minutes to find an equaliser of their own.
It was again a cross and header that undid Liverpool, and this time it was Michail Antonio who finished emphatically to all but end Liverpool’s title hopes.
Arsenal hold on against north London rivals
Arsenal came out on top in Tottenham’s backyard in another memorable north London derby yesterday.
Despite a sloppy start from the Gunners, they found themselves leading 3-0 at halftime.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg directed a Bukayo Saka corner kick into his own net to give Arsenal the lead after 15 minutes.
Saka then doubled the lead for the visitors in the 27th minute with a perfect counter attacking goal, delicately settling a precise long ball from Kai Havertz before sending Ben Davies to the shops with his trademark cut-in finish on his left foot.
Havertz added a goal of his own, heading home from a corner kick to seemingly put the game to bed.
Arsenal almost scored a fourth soon after the restart, with Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario making a brilliant stop with his foot to prevent Saka from getting a second goal.
There seemed to be no serious threat of Spurs getting back into the game, that is until the 64th minute.
David Raya gave the ball away to Cristian Romero directly in front of his goal, and the centre-back took advantage of it to get a goal back for Spurs.
Following the goal, the momentum shifted heavily towards the hosts for the remainder of the game.
In the dying minutes, Spurs were awarded a penalty after a clumsy foul by Declan Rice, and Son Heung-Min buried it to set up a nail biting end to the game.
The Gunners held on in the end to secure consecutive away wins at Tottenham for the first time in 35 years, extending their lead over Manchester City to four points.
Manchester City escape the Forest
Manchester City were not at all phased by the pressure applied by Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest showed intent throughout the afternoon, but their finishing let them down.
City took the lead on 32 minutes when Joško Gvardiol headed home at the near post from a corner kick.
Chris Wood missed two golden chances to equalise for Forest, and were left to pay for it in the end.
Erling Haaland wrapped things up in the 71st minute in typically clinical fashion, receiving a ball from Kevin De Bruyne before feinting left and finishing with his left.
Down to the wire
It’s looking more and more likely that the title will be decided on the final day of the season.
Arsenal now sit in first place with a one point lead over Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Arsenal will have to win their three remaining games no matter what in order to stand a chance.
If they pull that off, a Manchester City draw or loss would be enough for them to win their first Premier League title in 20 years.
The football community is in for a treat over these next few weeks.
