It was pretty much the perfect gameweek for Arsenal as they hunt their first Premier League title in over two decades.
The Gunners were emphatic 3–0 victors over Fulham on Saturday, not only boosting their goal difference but moving six points clear at the summit and navigating an awkward test. Things got even better come the end of Monday night.
Manchester City’s dramatic stumble at Everton—Pep Guardiola’s men scoring a last-gasp equalizer in a 3–3 draw—means the title is now entirely in Arsenal’s hands. Win their remaining three matches and nobody can stop them from finally ending their trophy drought.
City are now five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and while they’re certainly not out of the race, they’re reliant on others doing them favors. Meanwhile, they also have to win all of their remaining fixtures to realistically claim top spot come the campaign’s conclusion.
With that in mind, here are the remaining Premier League fixtures for the title hopefuls.
Arsenal, Man City’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures
|
Arsenal |
Man City |
|---|---|
|
West Ham United (A) – May 10 |
Brentford (H) – May 9 |
|
Burnley (H) – May 18 |
Crystal Palace (H) – May 13 |
|
Crystal Palace (A) – May 24 |
Bournemouth (A) – May 19 |
|
– |
Aston Villa (H) – May 24 |
For Arsenal, just three opponents stand between them and glory. On paper, Mikel Arteta’s side will be clear favorites for all of their remaining games, but the Premier League is seldom so straightforward. Upsets come in unexpected places.
First, Arsenal must travel across the capital. The Gunners visit relegation-threatened West Ham United at the London Stadium, the Hammers still frantically fighting for their lives toward the foot of the table. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been strong on home soil recently and will come out swinging, while Arsenal will also be fatigued from their Champions League semifinal second leg.
Their penultimate fixture is by far their simplest. A home clash with already relegated Burnley could offer Arsenal the chance to further boost their goal difference as they put the managerless Clarets to the sword. Burnley have won just one league match since the beginning of November.
Last up is Crystal Palace. The trip to Selhurst Park will prove arduous should the title still hang in the balance, the added pressure making a hostile arena an even greater challenge. However, there is a strong chance that Oliver Glasner chooses to rest players in his final Premier League match as Palace manager, with the Eagles likely to be playing in the Conference League final just three days later.
Arsenal have the luxury of points on the board, while Man City are playing catch up. Not only are they no longer in control of their own destiny, they have an extra match to navigate—their rearranged fixture at home to Crystal Palace scheduled for May 13.
The Eagles have sometimes proven tricky opponents for City in recent years, such as in last year’s FA Cup final, but Guardiola’s men will still be favorites. They will wear the same tag for their Etihad clash with Brentford three days prior, their first chance to respond to a disappointing evening at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
City face Chelsea in the FA Cup final after facing Palace and before their Premier League encounter away at Bournemouth. There will be just three days between the trips to Wembley and the Vitality Stadium, the latter having proven a difficult place to clinch points this season. The Cherries, who are still chasing European qualification, will be highly motivated in Andoni Iraola’s final home game.
City close their campaign at home to Aston Villa—a fixture boasting excellent title-winning memories from the final day of the 2021–22 season. Whether they are still in the hunt by then remains to be seen, but Villa could still be fighting for their qualification to next season’s Champions League. Unai Emery’s side may also have played in the Europa League final just four days earlier.
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