Surprising Arsenal-Man City Clash Shakes Up 2024 EPL Race
One of the title-deciding games of the season has just been played. It was between the reigning champions Manchester City and Arsenal, one of the many challengers to the City’s throne. Today’s game was tight, one full of chances and what-ifs. Ninety minutes later, it was clear who was the victor in a match that could decide who would be crowned champions of England.
The winner was Liverpool, who played earlier in the day against Brighton & Hove Albion at home in Anfield, where they won 2-1. The City vs Arsenal game ended in a draw, so Liverpool sits atop the Premier League, ahead of City and Arsenal by three and two points, respectively.
Even though it was a goalless game, fans of both sides got to watch a tense game that was undecided until the final whistle blew.
In the first half, it seemed like City would pull ahead sooner or later because, for most of the first half, the ball stayed with City inside the Arsenal half, where it was just wave after wave of attack. Arsenal would win the ball, but City would take it back soon after and continue their attack. You would think David Raya, Arsenal goalkeeper, would have his work cut out for him. Surprisingly, City attackers like star striker Erling Haaland didn’t pressure him much despite City being a team that can pressure and test a goalkeeper’s quality. The same goes for Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The defense played a big part in today’s game for both sides. Even though Arsenal let City have the ball for most of the game, they certainly were not being pushovers when City attacked. They stuck close and didn’t give much space. City doesn’t even need much space to score goals; being one step away from a defender is all it takes for City to find the back of the net.
Arsenal is in the same place that City was before Erling Haaland joined. There is a talented attacking team without a player who is a 100 percent striker. That could explain why, even though they could get in behind City’s back line more than once, they could not convert that into a goal.
With only eight games left in the season and none of the remaining eight games against each other like today’s game, It comes down to who out of Liverpool, Arsenal, or City can win more games and who will crack under the pressure and drop points and possibly the premier league title.
Will it come down to Championship Sunday, the final day of the season, like it did when City beat Aston Villa 3-2 in injury time to take the crown from Liverpool in the 21/22, or will one of the three crack under pressure and give the title away like when Arsenal lost to 1-0 to Nottingham Forrest, a team that was fighting relegation in the 22/23 season.
All we can do is sit and watch the next eight Liverpool, Arsenal, and City games and I can’t wait to see it all unfold.
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