Free-scoring Man City look in the mood for the Premier League title race after breaking a 103-year-old record following Wolves’ drubbing… Arsenal will depend on their error in two away games.
- Manchester City beat Wolves 5-1 to move within a point of leaders Arsenal
- Away games against Fulham and Tottenham could well decide who wins the title
- It’s that time of the season! Who are the five best players of the season? Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Royalty was present at the procession, another record falling to Pep Guardiola. Forty-three home matches without defeat now, the longest run ever by a Manchester City team. The previous record had existed for 103 years.
David Silva attended with his family a first return to the Etihad Stadium since leaving without a proper farewell during the pandemic. He wasn’t the only big to get a ticket for the run-in, however, with Arjen Robben in the City dressing room after the victory.
Robben played under Guardiola at Bayern Munich, once mocking how the manager called him at all hours to discuss work, and made sure to praise the City team for dispatching Wolves and keeping the pressure on Arsenal.
The idea of prime Robben coming in from the right in this City team is frightening; how he and Silva must wish to operate behind Erling Haaland when he is in this kind of mood.
And City are in the mood, 24 goals in their last six league matches since a goalless draw against Arsenal that looked to give the Gunners and Liverpool title advantage. Now it’s in City’s hands and, given how beaten Wolves looked from the start, Arsenal will be praying not to count on any favors on the final day.
Manchester City look in high spirits in Premier League encounter after beating Wolves 5-1
City legend David Silva was in the crowd for his late return game at the Etihad.
Arjen Robben, who played under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, also secured a ticket
West Ham are then in Manchester and no team in any competition has beaten City on their own turf since Ivan Toney inspired Brentford to a late victory on the eve of last season’s World Cup.
Since then, only seven teams have come away with a draw. West Ham managing this is not a chance Arsenal will want to rely on.
So this title race – violently going from best ever to boring in the court of public opinion once City kicked it up a gear – hinges on a few consecutive away games for City.
Fulham on Saturday before the daunting trip to Tottenham three days later. Although their FA Cup victory four months ago broke their hoodoo, City are yet to score a Premier League goal at the new stadium. Even a broken Spurs is a tricky Spurs for champions.
Guardiola insists they must win all three games – which would mean nine straight wins, their longest run since the same period last year – to clinch another crown. He is adamant Arsenal will not drop any further points, predicting they will beat Manchester United and Everton.
Guardiola knows City’s title bid likely hinges on away games at Fulham and Tottenham
If City win these two games, Arsenal will need an unlikely billiard or two.
If that happens then Spurs and Fulham are the games, they are the title race.
The away record has improved this year, with City scoring 37 points from 17 games – one more than all of last season – but these are two grounds they have been made to work on. Julian Alvarez scored a wonder goal to seal a win at Craven Cottage in the run-in, as Spurs always had something on them.
It’s by no means over, but come out the other side and Arsenal will need an unlikely billiard or two.
