MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola regards Mikel Arteta as one of his closest friends in football, but the Manchester City manager is showing no mercy to his Arsenal counterpart. If Arteta wants to win the Premier League title, Guardiola is making him earn it.

Even though he chose to start with Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki on the substitutes’ bench in Wednesday’s game against Crystal Palace — all three were rested ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea — Guardiola still had enough firepower for his team to seal a 3-0 win against Oliver Glasner’s team.

City are still two points behind the Gunners, with each side having just two games left to play in the final week of the season, but this victory means they are ready and waiting to pounce if Arsenal fail to win their remaining fixtures.

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It’s a simple equation for Arsenal. Win their remaining games at home to Burnley next Monday and away at Palace on the final day of the season and there is nothing that City can do about it.

Two more wins and Arteta will deliver Arsenal’s first league title since 2004 and tee up the prospect of the club’s best season, which it would achieve by winning Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30.

But if Arsenal were hoping for some breathing space in their title pursuit, even the chance to wrap it up against already-relegated Burnley next week, City denied them that luxury by beating Palace at the Etihad Stadium.

Their winning margin gives City the narrowest possible advantage in terms of goal difference over Arsenal. It could have been more, maybe should have been more, with City trying to find a fourth goal in the closing stages. But at this point of a season, every goal counts, and City’s slight goal-difference lead means that any Arsenal slip could send the Premier League trophy back to the Etihad for the seventh time in 10 years.

City know that all they can do now is make Arsenal feel the heat and turn the screw psychologically.

“The aim is to keep pushing and keep them on their toes,” City midfielder Phil Foden said. “We’ve seen a lot of things can happen on the final day.

“I’ve experienced it many times when the game doesn’t go your way. We just have to keep pushing and doing our part.”

City’s 3-3 draw at Everton last week put Arsenal in control of their own destiny, but the positive of City dropping two points was diminished by Doku scoring an equalizer six minutes into stoppage time in that match.

That goal meant Arsenal still had to win every game. Had City lost, Arteta’s side would have been able to draw without worrying about the consequences, but Doku kept City alive and kept Arsenal awake. The same applied in the win against Palace, with City showcasing their formidable attacking options to win comfortably. Arteta will know that even if his team scores six against Burnley on Monday, and moves five goals clear of City on goal difference, City could wipe that advantage out if they win at Bournemouth next Tuesday and at home to Aston Villa on the final day.

Imagine the pressure Arsenal will feel if City move ahead on goal difference and they are unable to edge ahead against Palace?

Guardiola ended the Palace game with six attacking players — Doku, Omar Marmoush, Savinho, Antoine Semenyo and Foden — on the field during the remaining half hour because he wanted more goals. Three was the final outcome, but with those options, plus 26-goal leading scorer Haaland, City are capable of outscoring Arsenal next week if they need to.

Arteta’s side will have to be perfect to win the title. When you consider the depth of talent available to Guardiola, City have arguably underperformed this season, but despite a season in which they have been inconsistent and unconvincing, they are still pushing Arsenal every step of the way.

Foden perhaps embodies City’s campaign: a player of immense talent, with a proven record of success, but one who has struggled to perform to his best. The 25-year-old hasn’t scored in 2026 and he had registered just three league assists ahead of this game, but he came up with two in the first half for Semenyo and Marmoush — his backheel pass to Semenyo was world-class — and almost created a third when his cross for Josko Gvardiol led to a stunning save by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Foden gave a glimpse of his best form, as did Cherki after he was introduced in the 82nd minute, and Doku was also impressive.

Arsenal don’t possess City’s flair and killer instinct in their attacking department, and that might yet prove to be the decisive factor over the final 180 minutes of the season. If the title race goes down to the final minutes, there is no doubt that City will relish the challenge. Arsenal, on the other hand, will just want it to be over as quickly as possible.

City have won titles in the dying moments of the season before, most notably in 2012 and 2022, and they know they can do it again.

The pressure is all on Arsenal. City are making them sweat, so can they handle it?