Premier League title scenarios: Are Man City favourites after beating Arsenal at Etihad?

The Premier League title has become that much more exciting following Manchester City's thrilling 2-1 victory over current leaders Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Arsenal have not won the English top division since the 'Invincibles' in the 2003-04 season, and have finished runners-up in each of the last three seasons.

And following their latest setback in the form of the defeat at the hands of City, the Gunners are staring at the prospect of a second-place finish after fumbling towards the end of the season yet again.

How City have caught-up with Arsenal

Mikel Arteta's men were on top of the table during the Christmas break, something that had achieved in recent seasons as well, and were leading City by 8 points at the end of Matchweek 30 last month, at which point their fans were full of belief that they would cross the final hurdle this year after a series of heartbreaks.

More from Football News

The 13-time English top-flight champions, however, have been going through a rough patch since their 2-0 victory over Everton at home last month – from a 0-2 loss at the hands of their title rivals in the League Cup final to a quarter-final exit in the FA Cup following a 2-1 loss against Southampton.

Also Read | Vieira slams Arteta for Eze substitution, Richards says title race ‘over’ for Arsenal after Man City win at Etihad

And though they have progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after beating Sporting CP, Arsenal have also suffered back-to-back losses in the Premier League during this period, against Bournemouth and City by identical margins.

Man City, meanwhile, meanwhile, find themselves in an ideal position to win their seventh Premier League title in the last nine seasons – all of them coming under Pep Guardiola's watch. While they have looked scratchy in phases since January, especially in their Round of 16 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League, City appear to have regained their old form since then, scoring 11 goals in their last four outings and conceding just once.

Arsenal or Man City? Which team will win the Premier League? 

Here are Arsenal and Manchester City's remaining fixtures for the ongoing season, which will conclude on Sunday, 24 May:

Arsenal

– vs Newcastle United (home) on Saturday, 25 April

– vs Fulham (home) on Saturday, 2 May

– vs West Ham United (away) on Sunday, 10 May

– vs Burnley (home) on Sunday, 17 May

– vs Crystal Palace (away) on Sunday, 24 May

Manchester City

– vs Burnley (away) on Thursday, 23 April

– vs Everton (away) on Tuesday, 5 May

– vs Brentford (home) on Saturday, 9 May

– vs Bournemouth (away) on Sunday, 17 May

– vs Crystal Palace (home) on Friday, 22 May

– vs Aston Villa (home) on Sunday, 24 May

Judging by their current form, one would be inclined to put their money on Man City as far as betting on the winner of the ongoing season is concerned. City suddenly appear to be firing on all cylinders while Arsenal appear to be lacking the belief that had allowed them to remain top of the table since October.

A look at their remaining fixtures of the season, however, would suggest that it's not over for the Gunners yet. Arteta's men, after all, will not be facing any team that currently is in the top-10, with Fulham being the highest-ranked side at 12th. And at least two of those teams – West Ham (17) and Burnley (20) – are either in the relegation zone or are close to it.

City, not only play an extra game, they also face three top-10 teams in their remaining games – Bournemouth (8th), Brentford (7th) and Aston Villa (4th). Compared to Arsenal, Guardiola's men certainly have a trickier fixtures list ahead of them.

So while Man City are favourites to clinch the title from here, a lot can still happen in the final leg of the 2025-26 Premier League season. And while cross-town rivals Manchester United, defending champions Liverpool or Villa are unlikely to challenge for the top spot, Arsenal, could still produce one last fight and hang on to the top spot by a thread.