Manchester City-Arsenal stalemate keeps Premier League title race razor-sharp

Title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal played out a hard-fought but largely forgettable goalless draw as Liverpool ended the weekend top of the Premier League.

After Jurgen Klopp's men came back to beat Brighton earlier on Sunday, attention turned to the Etihad Stadium for the final league meeting between any of the three teams vying for glory.

But the high-profile clash fell well short of the pre-match hype as Pep Guardiola’s men were held by former City coach Mikel Arteta and his will-drilled Arsenal side in a cagey 0-0 draw.

Whether this proves an important point for either side or a missed opportunity remains to be seen, with Liverpool now at the summit on 67 points ahead of Arsenal on 65 and City on 64.

There are sure to be plenty of twists and turns over final nine matches, but Sunday’s Etihad Stadium encounter was devoid of any such excitement.

Gabriel Jesus had Arsenal’s best opportunities in a drab first half dominated by the home side, for the most part, but without creating chances.

Referee Anthony Taylor gave little in terms of cards and bookings during a game that limped towards a draw, ending the Gunners’ eight-game losing streak in all competitions at the Etihad.

Guardiola made two changes to his starting line-up as Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake came in for Jeremy Doku and the injured Kyle Walker, with Arsenal’s only alteration seeing Jesus replace Leandro Trossard.

The former City forward had the first meaningful chance of a tense afternoon, meeting Ben White’s cross from the right with a touch and strike narrowly wide. Arteta slapped his thighs in frustration.

But City were camped in the visitors’ half before and after that seventh-minute warning shot, albeit their patient probing and possession failed to