City tightens grip on top spot
With a certain inevitability, Manchester City is suddenly in charge of the Premier League title race.
Arsenal and Liverpool produced lethargic performances under pressure and lost home matches on Sunday, leaving City — seeking an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title — with a twopoint lead and six games remaining.
After Liverpool lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace for its first league defeat at Anfield in 18 months, Arsenal was beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa for its first league loss in 2024.
With the three contenders entering the weekend separated by one point, this season’s title race was billed as the best in years. There might still be twists and turns, but many will be ready to crown City, which beat Luton 5-1 on Saturday and rarely drops points in the final months of title campaigns.
It was around this time that Arsenal started to implode last season, as a typically fast-finishing City reeled in Mikel Arteta’s team.
Has it happened again? Playing between a doubleheader against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, Arsenal’s players lacked spark. Goals by Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins earned fourth-place Villa a big win in its own bid for Champions League qualification.
“It was going to happen at some stage,” Arteta said. “With the games we had, it was going to happen. Now how we react to it is going to be the key.”
Since losing to Fulham on Dec. 31, Arsenal had won 10 of 11 in the league and drawn the other.
“With the amount of games we have won in a row, in any other league in the world you are six or eight points clear,” Arteta said. “It’s not the case now but this is the challenge.”