Title door wide open for Arsenal, but no time for a stumble

LONDON, May 14 : Two games, two wins, one huge north London party. It sounds such a simple scenario for Arsenal as they close in on their first Premier League title for 22 years.

Had Mikel Arteta been told last August a win at home to relegated Burnley then another one at a Crystal Palace side with their gaze fixed on a first-ever European final would seal the deal, he would have signed instantly.

Manchester City may have beaten Palace 3-0 on Wednesday to keep Arsenal honest but the fact remains that only a horrendous stumble from Arsenal will stop them finally delivering after three successive runner-up finishes.

They have 79 points from 36 games with City, who are in the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday, on 77.

A win, preferably a commanding one against Burnley would mean City have to win at Bournemouth next Tuesday just to take the race to the wire next Sunday when they host Aston Villa.

The Premier League's data analysts Opta rate Arsenal's chance of winning the title at 86 per cent.

But titles are won on the field, not on spreadsheets and the next week might feel like an awfully long one for Arsenal fans.

They were put through a gut-wrenching afternoon at relegation-threatened West Ham United last weekend as Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win that kept their destiny in their own hands.

Had Callum Wilson's stoppage-time goal for West Ham counted, rather than being ruled out after a VAR intervention, the old fears would have resurfaced.

While Burnley at home looks a far less onerous task than a derby at a West Ham side fighting for their top-flight survival, Arsenal will be taking nothing for granted.

Burnley might be down and without a manager after Scott Parker's exit, but there are rarely any free passes in the Premier League