Arsenal desperate to hold off City charge in title showdown

LONDON : Like a sky blue juggernaut, Manchester City have begun to fill Arsenal's rearview mirror and on Wednesday the reigning champions have the chance to begin their over-taking manoeuvre on the road to a fifth Premier League title in six years.

A match that has loomed on the fixture list for months as a likely title-decider now feels like a must-win game for an Arsenal side whose hold on the summit is coming loose.

While treble-chasing City have been churning out the wins, just as they usually do at the business end of a season, Arsenal's young pretenders have been struck by vertigo.

They could have been going to City with a double-digit points lead but after surrendering 2-0 advantages to draw consecutive away games 2-2 at Liverpool and West Ham United, they were then held to a frenzied 3-3 draw by bottom club Southampton on Friday.

After that rip-roaring contest, in which Arsenal needed late goals from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka just to salvage a point, the players slumped to the turf and their fans filed away wondering if the dream of a first title since 2004 was fading.

Arsenal still have a five-point lead with six games to play but City have two matches in hand and look irresistible having collected 25 points from the last 27 on offer.

According to statistician Simon Gleave of data company Gracenote, Arsenal's draw with Southampton left them with a 21 per cent chance of dethroning City, while Pep Guardiola's side now have a 79 per cent probability of finishing top.

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Football has a habit of delivering twists and turns, however, and despite their recent jitters Arsenal remain in a position few could have imagined at the start of the season.

And while Mikel Arteta would have much preferred a bigger cushion