Manchester City vs Arsenal: The Run-In

After a hiatus of 22 years, Arsenal has won the Premier League title, to the great delight of an international collective of supporters who had been disappointed by their past three second-place finishes in a row. A meek draw from at the Vitality Stadium from Manchester City against Bournemouth confirmed silverware for the Gunners, who edged out Crystal Palace in a celebratory match, in which Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke scored the final two goals of Arsenal’s historic season. Donning “Champions 26” red and white tops, Arsenal lifted the coveted, crowned Premier League trophy to their corner of supporters at Selhurst Park.

The Premier League consists of 38 “Gameweeks,” with the last five to seven dubbed the “run-in,” in which the fight to dodge relegation to the second tier of English soccer is decided, spots in European competitions are filled for the upcoming season, and the champions of England are crowned. This season, Manchester City and Arsenal clashed in the run-in, fighting relentlessly to get the slip on one another, with each trying to capitalize on the other’s dropped points. Arsenal spent 238 nights at the top throughout the season, with City always close behind.

In their first match of the Premier League, at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, City led for 83 minutes from a goal in the ninth minute from Erling Haaland, but a defensive blunder let Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli in behind City’s defense. He equalized with a chipped finish over the goalkeeper, and the points were shared. They met again in the Carabao Cup Final, a separate competition that represents English clubs from every tier. Arsenal was well beaten, succumbing to two goals from youngster City defender Nico O’Reilly, and City lifted their first trophy of the season.

None of these matches however, carried the same blockbuster nature as this: on April 19, City hosted Arsenal in a match with immense title implications. City sat six points behind Arsenal, but had played one match less, and had Arsenal exactly where they wanted them. If City took all three points from the match, and won their game in hand, they would be tied on points at the top, leaving the rankings down to goal difference, which is the number of goals scored throughout the season minus the goals conceded. With two of the league’s top three goalscorers, Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, City looked to have the advantage in the goal scoring department, but Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba led the best defense in the league, making for a clash of titans whenever the two teams crossed paths.

15 minutes into the match, 22-year-old City starlet Rayan Cherki weaved through the league’s best, and finished coolly past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. Only a few minutes later, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, regarded by many as the best in the world, made a potentially costly mistake, sending his pass into the foot of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz. It rebounded straight into the goal, and Donnarumma dropped to his knees, covering his face. The matchwinner came in the 65th minute; O’Reilly fired a low cross into the box and Haaland, tussling and shirt-pulling with Gabriel, outstretched his left foot and finished neatly into the bottom corner.

With City now only three points behind, and still with a game in hand—against Crystal Palace—they looked as though they had the advantage. In Gameweek 34, both City and Arsenal secured narrow 1-0 wins against Burnley and Newcastle respectively. However, in Gameweek 35 came a decisive slip. Arsenal had done their job over the weekend, beating Fulham 3-0, but City only managed a draw against Everton at the Hill Dickinson stadium, with City winger Jérémy Doku scoring a 98th minute equalizer to secure at least a point. Looking for a scapegoat, fans took to social media and put blame for the result on City central defender Marc Guéhi, who made a mistake in the first half that allowed Everton striker Thierno Barry to equalize. In one of the remaining blemishes on the soccer world, many racist posts and comments were shared on social media, harassing and ridiculing Guéhi, who had only joined the club in January from Crystal Palace and has been a massive success. City made a statement condemning those “fans” shortly after the match.

Gameweek 36 saw City take all three points at home against Brentford, keeping them nipping at Arsenal’s heels. A 3-0 win also meant City pulled ahead on goal difference. 80 minutes into Arsenal’s Sunday afternoon match against relegation-fighting West Ham, there was no breakthrough. City fans watched on, desperately hoping it would stay 0-0, or that West Ham would pull off a miracle. West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes was denied a goal brilliantly by Raya, and Arsenal had their chances too. With 81 minutes gone, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard received the ball from teammate and ex-West Ham player Declan Rice and skipped through a defender, before laying it off to Belgian winger Leandro Trossard, who fired past West Ham’s goalkeeper to break City’s hearts. West Ham were denied an extremely late equalizer through a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision filled with controversy, and Arsenal took all three points once again, surviving another gameweek where City looked the better team. As it stood, City were four points behind with a game in hand—a win against Crystal Palace would take them within a point. The draw against Everton in Liverpool was proving costly. In their game in hand against Palace, City pulled off another 3-0 victory, pulling further ahead on goal difference. Still, if Arsenal did not drop points in their final two matches, City would have no chance of the title. Standing in Arsenal’s way from a first title since 2004 were already-relegated Burnley, and Crystal Palace, who had qualified for a European Final, the Conference League, and no longer had stakes in the Premier League.

Arsenal eked out a 1-0 win against Burnley, in a match yet again riddled with VAR controversy; Havertz avoided a red card after a very dangerous challenge. With City playing Bournemouth on Monday, all eyes were on the match, until the entire football world received a shockwave of news. City Head Coach Josep “Pep” Guardiola would be stepping down at the end of the season after a 10-year tenure. City fans around the world were devastated to lose the coach who had brought them so much success. The 100-point “Centurions” season in 2017/18, the 2022/23 treble season—where the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup trophies were all lifted—and the fourth Premier League in a row in 2023/24: it was all with Pep at the helm. The news was clearly a blow to the players, as City confirmed Arsenal’s title with a 1-1 draw away against Bournemouth. Suddenly, the narrative changed for many City fans; the loss of the title race became a minor inconvenience compared to the loss of Pep, followed shortly by announcements that captain Bernardo Silva and defender John Stones, who Pep signed from Everton in his first season at City, would be leaving as well.

On championship Sunday, Arsenal played a celebratory match against Crystal Palace, and lifted the trophy high above their heads in front of the away end. While Arsenal partied, City lost against Aston Villa in a bittersweet spectacle, in which Stones and Silva, his french bulldog (who is affectionately named John Stones), were given a tearful guard of honor in the middle of the game, and Pep said goodbye to his beloved fans. Without a care about losing the title to Arsenal after nine months of fighting, City fans all over the world sat watching, wondering how to move on from the legends who were slowly slipping away.