Six points. That is the gap separating Arsenal from Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, with six games remaining for the Gunners and seven for Pep Guardiola’s side. On paper, it reads like a formality. In reality, Sunday’s visit to the Etihad Stadium will do more to settle this title race than any spreadsheet
Arsenal sit on 70 points from 32 games. City have 64 from 31. The mathematics very much give City a route to the title, but it is a narrow one, and it runs directly through a result at home against the very team they are chasing.
For much of this season, Arsenal set the pace without ever pulling clear in a way that felt truly definitive. That changed over the winter months, when a run of results took them nine points clear, including wins over Chelsea, Brighton, Everton and a 4-1 dismantling of Tottenham at their own ground.