Manchester City’s 5-1 victory over Wolves on Saturday night at the Etihad Stadium was another declaration of intent.
At the Premier League summit, Arsenal tries to distance itself from Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s team pulls them back in.
To maintain pressure on the league leaders, City responded with a victory of their own for the second consecutive weekend. In the Saturday lunchtime kickoff, Arsenal defeated Bournemouth 3-0. A few hours later, the Blues responded by thrashing Wolves 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland scored four goals with ease, bringing his season total of league goals to 25, ensuring that the Gunners’ lead at the top was cut to just one point. As the finish line draws near, neither team is willing to let up on the pressure.
The game that City is currently playing is still the big concern, even with Arsenal’s one-point lead. If City wins all three of their remaining games, they will win a fourth consecutive title, regardless of what Arsenal does in their final two matches against Manchester United and Everton.
On Saturday lunchtime, City travels to Craven Cottage to play Fulham. Three days later, they return to the capital to play Tottenham Hotspur. On May 19, they will play their final league game at home against West Ham.
It would take a brave person to wager against City winning their next three games given their current form. Guardiola’s team has amassed 24 goals in six straight league games while winning every one of them.
In keeping with that run, City has scored four goals or more in five of their previous six games, only losing 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground a little over a week ago. Nevertheless, the Blues are now just one goal away from Arsenal’s record of 88 goals.
In addition, City’s goal-scoring prowess in recent weeks has brought them to within six goals of Arsenal’s goal differential; the Londoners currently have a plus-60 total, while City’s is currently plus-54.
Arsenal can only score as many as 89 points if they win their next two games; City can score as many as 91 points if they win their final three games. However, if City wins two and draws one of their next three games, there’s a chance both teams could end tied at 89 goals apiece.
In that case, goal differential will determine the winner of the championship, so City’s recent goal glut may be crucial to their attempt to hold onto the trophy. In the Premier League this season, the Blues have scored four goals or more eight times; they have accomplished that specific feat five times since the March international break.
Keeping that specific statistic in mind, City have stepped up their game at the perfect moment, posing a threat to almost everyone they come into contact with. And City’s argument is strengthened even more when you consider that Haaland has scored seven goals in his last four league games.
Even though Arsenal is still in first place for the time being, City is in a great position to add another Premier League title to their collection. Nothing in sports is guaranteed, not even at this point in the season.
