Arsenal will once again fancy their chances of winning the Premier League after going top at the weekend, following their 1-0 win over Newcastle. Manchester City had moved to the top earlier in the week after a victory over Burnley, but City’s FA Cup involvement against Southampton gave the Gunners the perfect opportunity to move back to the summit, though temporarily. The unpredictable nature of who stays on top after every gameweek has more or less shown that we have approached the business end of the season, where anything can happen as it stands in terms of the title.
Arsenal handed Premier League lifeline
Though the win might not have been the most convincing for many, the most important thing to start with was that Arsenal claimed a win and three points, something they have actually failed to do in a while in terms of domestic football. With the looks of things, there is also a strong possibility that the Premier League could even go down to goals scored and goal difference, making every single goal at this stage of the season important.
Arsenal might have a slight psychological advantage, though. For their next Premier League fixture against Fulham, the Gunners will play two days before City travels to Everton, meaning they could hold a six-point gap before Pep Guardiola’s men even play—provided they win. This might help put some pressure on City, knowing that anything other than a win firmly puts Arsenal back in the driving seat.
Also, City’s win over Southampton to reach the FA Cup final now means that their fixture against Bournemouth will also be rescheduled, meaning they might have two outstanding fixtures before the end of the Premier League season. That could also be a disadvantage because those games would have to be squeezed into a little window of time, and that could cause some fatigue for Guardiola’s men and potentially help the Gunners. However, Mikel Arteta and his side have a distraction of their own to worry about.
Arsenal still have the small matter of the Champions League
While chasing the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, Arsenal still has the Champions League to navigate through as well. The Gunners will travel to take on Atletico Madrid in Spain on Wednesday before playing the return leg at the Emirates next week. Arteta will not have the opportunity to rest his ‘best legs,’ meaning Arsenal’s first eleven might also be fatigued between now and the next two weeks. In the event that the Gunners do get knocked out, it also gives them room to solely focus on the Premier League squarely.
It might only be slightly significant, but Arsenal have been handed a lifeline in terms of winning the Premier League once again.