Arsenal now leads the Premier League title race by five points after Manchester City's recent loss to Everton. Their title destiny is in their own hands despite City having a game in hand.
Key points
Arsenal leads the Premier League title race by five points
Manchester City lost to Everton, impacting the title race
Arsenal's fate is in their own hands
City has an outstanding fixture remaining
ArsenalManchester CityEvertonPremier League
Arsenal’s title destiny is now in their hands – can they get over the line?
Arsenal’s title destiny is now in their hands – can they get over the line?
Arsenal are back in the driving seat in the Premier League title race after Manchester City’s shocking slip-up in their most recent outing against Everton.
The Gunners now lead by five points. Even though City have an outstanding fixture, Arsenal’s fate remains firmly in their own hands.
Mikel Arteta’s troops have finished as runners-up three times in a row, but a flawless record across their final fixtures will certainly guarantee their first league title in 22 years.
However, Arsenal fans should be wary of getting the party started early, given the club’s recent history. Can Arsenal hold their nerve and finally get over the line?
Arsenal’s trip to West Ham United will see two sides from either side of the Premier League table go head-to-head in a must-watch fixture that will define each club’s ambitions.
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With the Gunners on the cusp of making history, they’ll head into this game as favourites. Both teams have a lot to play for on Sunday, paving the way for an exciting battle at the London Stadium.
Arsenal return to the Emirates Stadium to take on relegated Burnley eight days after the London derby.
Even without the pressure of chasing the title, the Gunners should be able to mark this as an easy win on their calendar. But it’s not that simple, and Burnley’s game against City proves that.
The Clarets have nothing else to lose this season, which makes them very dangerous and serious threats to Arsenal’s ambitions.
The Gunners should still come away with a win, but they can’t afford to underestimate the Clarets.
Arsenal will wrap up the campaign against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, although they’ll be hoping to have secured the title before the final fixture.
Eberechi Eze will return to his old stomping ground in what could be one of the most important games of his career if City are still in the mix at that point.
This could be another straightforward win for Arsenal, especially as Palace will be more focused on their Europa Conference League final clash against Rayo Vallecano.
Manchester City’s remaining fixtures
Brentford (H) – May 9
Brentford have been one of the biggest surprises in the 2025/26 campaign, with Keith Andrews’ side firmly in the mix to secure European football.
The Irish manager was initially written off, considering he had no prior experience as a first-team manager before replacing Thomas Frank.
However, he has proven doubters wrong, so City must be wary of the threat Brentford carries, especially considering they’ve lost just one of their last eight games (W2, D5).
Crystal Palace (H) – May 13
Palace have nothing left to play for in the Premier League, which means they have nothing to lose in the final three games. That makes them dangerous to City’s title charge.
The Eagles have already secured a place in the Conference League final. They’re favourites to secure the title, and that is very much the focus.
While that doesn’t make them easy targets for City, the Cityzens will hope to capitalise on any hint of complacency to keep their title hopes alive.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in 15 Premier League games and are chasing a place in Europe at the time of writing, so they cannot be underestimated.
Arsenal found that out the hard way when both sides squared off at the Emirates, so City can learn from their mistakes to avoid a similar fate against the Cherries.
City will come into this game on the back of the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The result of that game could significantly impact how they fare against Bournemouth, but anything short of victory at the Vitality Stadium could hand the title to Arsenal.
Aston Villa have their own ambitions, but they’re on course to qualify for the Champions League.
The Villans have also punched their ticket to the Europa League final after obliterating Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate in their all-English semi-final.
Villa can’t seem to put a foot wrong at the moment, but their European commitments could give City the edge when both sides lock horns, with Unai Emery likely to field a second-string line-up.
