Last week Arsenal had the chance to go 12 points clear of Manchester City in their hunt for a first Premier League title since 2004 but by Wednesday their advantage could be wiped out.
Pep Guardiola’s men — chasing a seventh Premier League title in nine seasons — can smell blood and are now favourites.
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Liverpool appear to be on their way to ending their season with the consolation prize of a Champions League spot after their disastrous title defence.
While Manchester United made a strong response to further their European claims, and Michael Carrick’s for a permanent gig.
At the other end of the table, Tottenham’s plight looks increasingly bleak as rivals pull away from the drop zone.
Here are the biggest talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action!
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‘ALL OVER THE PLACE’: ARSENAL IN THE GUN AFTER LATEST SLIP-UP
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has often come under scrutiny when his team has faltered in recent years.
But two Premier League greats believe now is the time to put responsibility on the players after a 2-1 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Gunners have finished runner-up in the league in the last three seasons, and now face the very real possibility of extending that unwanted streak to a fourth straight season.
Arsenal have sat on top of the table since October 4, but if City win away at Burnley on Thursday morning Australian time, Pep Guardiola’s side will go level with their rivals on points but jump them courtesy of a superior goal difference.
For fans on the red side of north London, it has been a nightmare of their own doing.
Arsenal have now lost back-to-back league matches for the first time in three years.
Former captain Patrick Vieira believes now is the time for the players to stand up and act, rather than rolling over under the heat of the final stretch of the season.
“I always question the mental strength of the team and I will question it more now regarding the result today,” Vieira told Sky Sports.
The three-time Premier League winner added: “They have to respond. You expect top players to respond when they have their back against the wall.
“It’s important for players to take responsibility as well. Today they’ve played quite a good game. But they had a lack of togetherness on the side of ‘we have to be really demanding of each other’.
“They created enough chances to at least not lose that game. What they are missing can have an impact on the result.
“It will be important for them to not accept easily that loss. Because they shouldn’t lose the game today with the way they performed.
“Mikel’s team selection was right. They had a good game of football. But going back to London with no points, it becomes the players’ responsibility.”
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane agreed with his old midfield sparring partner.
The notorious hard man said the change in attitude from earlier in the season to now in the Arsenal players was clear to see in Manchester on Sunday.
“I think Arsenal have to be critical of themselves as players,” Keane said on Sky Sports.
“Earlier in the season, they weren’t giving away many goals or conceding too many chances.
“Now, there were two goals today, two goals last week, two goals in the cup game against Southampton – they have to be critical of themselves.
“I’ve questioned this group about their mentality and getting a grip of each other.
“I’d want someone to be really critical because when they analyse the second goal, they were all over the place… it was far too easy.”
Fellow Manchester United great Gary Neville pointed out that with five games to go, destiny really is in Arsenal’s hands.
Before the Premier League title is decided, Arteta’s men only leave London for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid next week.
In the league, they welcome 14th placed Newcastle and 12th placed Fulham to the Emirates before a trip to East London to face relegation-threatened West Ham.
They then play 19th placed Burnley at home before going to south London for a date with 13th placed Crystal Palace – whose focus is on their UEFA Conference League campaign – on the final day of the season.
“It couldn’t be better. West Ham away is tough because of where West Ham are right now,” Neville said.
“If you’d have said, let’s pick five fixtures, you might change one. But honestly, you could not pick a better five games than that, really. You’d snap your hand off all day if you got offered those five as your last five games of the season going for a title.”
“Look, if they drop points against Newcastle and Fulham, you’re done. You don’t deserve a title. Let’s be clear. That’s not being disrespectful to Newcastle and Fulham, but you don’t deserve a title if you drop points in those games,” Neville added.
“Going to West Ham after a Champions League semi-final, when you may have been knocked out, you might have got back late, you might have had a gruelling [game], you might have gone to extra time and penalties, it might be sapping.
“That will be a game. That’s a tough game. That’s one game that you’d look at and think, oh, that needs a little bit of care and a bit of attention. But that’s miles away for them.
“They’ve got four games before then, two in the Champions League and two in the Premier League, and they’ve got to go and do the job in those four matches.”
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‘THEY GO HOME’: TOTTENHAM BOSS’ WARNING AFTER ‘SPURSY’ MOMENT
Roberto De Zerbi has called on his beleaguered Tottenham players to “believe” as they fight tooth and nail to save themselves from a disastrous relegation.
But the club’s situation looks increasingly bleak as they search for an elusive win and their rivals continue to pick up points.
Spurs conceded a stoppage-time equaliser in their 2-2 draw against Brighton on Saturday — De Zerbi’s first home game in charge.
Rubbing salt into Tottenham’s wounds was that their £1 billion stadium erupted when Xavi Simons scored to put them ahead in the 77th minute.
The Dutchman sparked euphoric scenes as his rocket from the edge of the box had Spurs supporters celebrating as if the three points were in the bag.
But after Georginio Rutter’s equaliser, it became another ‘Spursy’ moment that was mocked and ridiculed.
“If that was the 90th minute I could understand it, but there was a lot of football still to be played,” former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand told Sky Sports.
“The reaction should be to keep it tight, instead they jumped into the crowd.”
Regardless, many pundits believe there were positives to take from the match.
“The way Spurs pressed was really impressive and it’s not something we’ve seen from them this season,” former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart said on BBC Match of the Day.
“It was a relentless press. The whole stadium was rocking as well.”
Former Spurs defender Michael Dawson, shared similar sentiments on Sky Sports, saying: “They have to take the positives. This will feel like a loss, it was a chance to turn their fortunes around.
“That is something they will have to deal with. I saw the hunger, desire and commitment. De Zerbi was passionate on the touchline.
“I saw something in that game – it has restored some belief, but this is a starting block.”
If West Ham beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday morning Australian time, Tottenham will be four points from safety with just five games to play.
Nottingham Forest beat Burnley 4-1 on Sunday to lift themselves five points above the drop zone while Leeds are now eight points clear.
Tottenham’s match against bottom club Wolves next week is now an absolute must-win.
The Italian manager had a clear message to his players ahead of the trip to last-placed Wolves.
“They have to follow me, they have not to think, they have to follow me and to listen to me,” De Zerbi said.
“I’m proud for their performance – they have to be stronger and to be focused just on the Wolverhampton game, and to come to the training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile, because otherwise they go home immediately. I have no time to see the negative people, to see the sad players or sad assistants. No.”
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‘PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME’: TITLE MOMENTUM WITH MAN CITY
Manchester City are now in the driving seat as Arsenal’s season continues to unravel.
Less than a month ago, the Gunners were on course for an unprecedented quadruple.
But four consecutive defeats in domestic competitions have ended their League Cup and FA Cup hopes and their Premier League challenge is faltering badly.
City, who face Burnley on Wednesday, would have been 12 points behind Arsenal had the Gunners beaten Bournemouth last week, at least temporarily.
They are still three points behind the long-time leaders but have a game in hand and, crucially, the momentum.
Arsenal’s nerve has been questioned during their alarming slump, which has included defeats to second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup and Bournemouth in the league.
But fine margins decided the match in a much-improved performance at the Etihad on Sunday, with Arsenal ruing missed chances.
A familiar lack of killer instinct could come back to haunt them once more as Kai Havertz fluffed his lines, missing a glorious late chance.
By contrast, Erling Haaland pounced to score his 47th goal of the season for club and country.
“The momentum’s all with Man City. They’ve been the best team the last eight, nine, 10 years at dealing with pressure. We saw that again today,” Roy Keane said on Sky Sports.
“Pep mentioned pressure before the game; if they didn’t win, that was the league over, so these players can deal with pressure and they did that in the second half.
“They rode their luck a little bit, but they’re peaking at the right time.”
City will go top if they win at Burnley midweek. They then face several tricky assignments.
City’s five games in May begin with a trip to Everton, which comes at a good time for the title contenders as the 10th placed Toffees’ European hopes were effectively dashed in the Merseyside derby.
They then welcome seventh-placed Brentford to the Etihad before travelling south to eighth-placed Bournemouth – where they lost last season.
Two more home games are also on the billing with a postponed clash with Crystal Palace still yet to confirm its new date, while fourth-placed Aston Villa await on the final day.
“I don’t think both teams will win every game. City are going to have to drop points somewhere. I’m not quite sure where that is. I think they have a massive, massive advantage now,” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.
“I think next Saturday night [at home to Newcastle] has got a lot of danger [for Arsenal]. The nerves inside that stadium if Arsenal don’t start well… it’s imperative Arsenal get over the line in that game.
“That tension will still be there next Saturday and Arsenal have to cope with that and come through it.
“For the first time this season, I’m going to say [the Premier League ribbons] are going to be blue.”
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OLD GUARD EASE REDS’ PAIN
Everton started the Merseyside derby full of hope they could come out on top but Virgil van Dijk’s 100th-minute winner took Liverpool a giant step closer towards qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Less than a year after they won the Premier League, Arne Slot’s future as Liverpool boss is in doubt after a miserable second season at Anfield.
Heavy defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to exit the FA Cup and Champions League have ramped up the pressure on the Dutchman.
But the Reds now look likely to seal a place in the top five — they are seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with five games left.
The poor form of Mohamed Salah and van Dijk has been a major factor in Liverpool’s drop-off this season, but the old guard stood up to be counted in the first derby at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The departing Salah scored the opener before van Dijk nodded home to realistically end Everton’s own challenge for Champions League football.
Toffees’ boss David Moyes was shattered after the final whistle, saying in his press conference: “We did not deserve the outcome we got. Football can be cruel sometimes.”
While Reds great Jamie Carragher could not help but feel as if Liverpool had got out of a jail via a winding back of the clock by two of the club’s greatest ever.
“The result is absolutely huge for Liverpool when you consider the Chelsea result yesterday,” he said on Sky Sports.
“When that board went up for 11 minutes, I’d have shaken with anyone and taken a point from a Liverpool point of view.
“With the situation with the goalkeeper [Giorgi Mamardashvili was taken to hospital with a knee injury], Everton were a little bit more threatening. Liverpool were a small team towards the end of that game and I was fearful of set pieces.
“When you think of how Liverpool have won this game – two of the absolute legends of the club have done it. They won’t be here much longer. Salah and probably van Dijk in 12 months’ time.
“Two of the absolute greats. Salah has done it again against Liverpool’s biggest rivals, as he always does. Against Everton or Man Utd, you can always rely upon him.”
EPL wrap: United stick boot into Chelsea | 01:14
ARCHITECT OF MAN UTD’S TURNAROUND ‘IN POLE POSITION’ FOR FULL-TIME GIG
Manchester United’s miraculous turnaround in the new year is effectively complete after the Red Devils defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
United are now ten points clear of the sixth-placed Blues with five games remaining, all but assuring they will return to Europe next season in the Champions League.
The top five at season’s end will compete in Europe’s premier competition next campaign with Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool set to join United in flying the English flag across the continent.
“That’s a brilliant, brilliant victory for United. I think that puts them into an incredible position now for Champions League football, as does it for Villa today as well. So it’s a big, big win for United last night,” club great Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.
“Villa, incredible victory and they’re going to get into the Champions League now, and that was massive for Liverpool, that last-minute winner. That just puts Chelsea in a desperate position.
“[The top five] looks set. Chelsea play Liverpool and Manchester United play Liverpool, so you could argue that Liverpool have got a couple of tricky games, but I just think now they’re seven points in front, and Chelsea look dead on their feet, and they’re beaten every time you watch them, they’re not in a good vein of form at all,” Neville continued.
“So that was a bad weekend for Chelsea, a really bad weekend. After United getting beat by Leeds on Monday, Chelsea must be thinking, ‘Let’s go and win’.
“Now you think of United’s centre backs and back four, you’re thinking, ‘Well, we’ve got a real chance’, so to not score a goal is a really bad situation.
“But Michael Carrick and Manchester United, I think that was a big response to that from a really difficult Monday Night Football against Leeds when Leeds outplayed Manchester United. I think it’s a really good response.”
When previous manager Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, United were sixth on the table.
They were 17 points behind league leaders Arsenal. They were level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea and only four points clear of 14th-placed Crystal Palace in a mid-table logjam.
Now, United are sitting third, 12 points behind the Gunners. They are also 16 points ahead of 13th-placed Palace.
It has been a remarkable change of fortunes for the famous club under interim manager Michael Carrick.
The former Red Devils midfielder is now eyeing off the position on a permanent basis, with fresh reports emerging following a successful trip to London that he is now in the box seat for the full-time job.
“I hear United have completed all of their background work and no doubt spoken to representatives, although I’m told no interviews with candidates have taken place yet,” The Athletic’s David Ornstein said.
“It’s a huge call for United and their sporting director Jason Wilcox — he’s leading the process and will make a recommendation to the board. As things stand, it might feel like Carrick is in pole position.”
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