Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League on Wednesday after a 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor. The result put Pep Guardiola’s side level on points with Arsenal and level on goal difference, but ahead on goals scored.
City have scored 66 goals this season, three more than Arsenal, and that may yet decide the title race. Arsenal could go six points clear again because they play twice before City do, but only if they beat Newcastle and Fulham in those two league games.
Paul Merson said the title race could come down to goal difference, and the numbers now make that more than a talking point. City did not blow Burnley away, and Merson said they did not rip them up by four or five goals, which means the gap at the top remains thin enough to swing quickly.
That is the context Arsenal now have to live with. They had lost at the Etihad, a match Merson said they could not afford to lose, and they are back under pressure with Newcastle on Saturday at 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports with coverage from 5pm. Fulham are also among their next two league games, and Merson was blunt about the task, saying it is a must.
City still have Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa left to play, so the race is not just about Arsenal catching up. It is about whether City can keep making the kind of narrow wins that leave them top of the epl table without giving their rivals the breathing room to take it back.