da bwin： Pep Guardiola's side are in pole position after a dream weekend, but there is still room for plenty more twists and turns
da prosport bet： After spending so much of this Premier League title race as the hunter, now Manchester City are the hunted. The treble-winners began the weekend by thrashing Luton Town 5-1 and then took their place on the sofa to watch Arsenal and Liverpool play their games.
Sunday could hardly have panned out better for Pep Guardiola's side, as Liverpool fell to a shock 1-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace before Unai Emery haunted his former side again as Aston Villa raided the Emirates Stadium and left with a 2-0 win.
City are now in pole position, leading Arsenal and Liverpool by two points after 32 matches, and this is often the period when Guardiola's side home in on their prize. Indeed, in the title races of 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23 combined, City only dropped two points from their final six games when the title was still been in play. They won 15 out of 16 matches, drawing just once.
City's experience and ruthless character has led to many pundits concluding that the league might as well hand the title over to Kyle Walker right now and get the party started. But don't listen to the naysayers; this compelling three-way title race still has plenty to give and is far from over…
(C)Getty ImagesTwo points & six games
Even if the season was heading into the final weekend and City were leading by their current margin of two points, the title race would still be on. So it is absurd to write off Arsenal and Liverpool when the gap is so small and there are still six rounds of games to go.
The Premier League's history is full of dramatic title collapses. Manchester United were eight points clear with six games left in the 2011-12 season and ended up runners-up to City; Newcastle surrendered a 12-point advantage in 1995-96; and United blew an 11-point lead over Arsenal in 1997-98. Never underestimate the league's capacity for drama and twists.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesChampions League distraction
Arsenal and Manchester City go into this week's Champions League quarter-final second legs with their fates on a knife edge, and the results for either side could have huge ramifications for the title race.
If City beat Real Madrid and Arsenal go out to Bayern Munich, with Liverpool almost certain to exit the Europa League after their shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta, then Pep Guardiola's side will have three more matches than their rivals to contend with before the end of the season (both Champions League semi-final legs and Saturday's FA Cup semi against Chelsea). That would further drain their tired squad in the title run-in.
Equally, another agonising exit from Europe's top competition could have a huge psychological effect on City and Guradiola, sapping their confidence at a crucial juncture.
Getty/ GOALFour away matches
It has been remarked that City have the easier run-in of the three title contenders, with Tottenham being their only top-seven opponent (more on that in a second). But out of their final six games, four of them are away from home, and Guardiola's side are noticeably weaker on the road.
City have failed to win a third of their away games this season, losing three and drawing two out of 15. That form contrasts with their imperious record at the Etihad Stadium, where they have won 13 from 17 league games and are unbeaten in all competitions since November 2022.
Getty ImagesCity hate playing Spurs
Every side has a bogey team, even City, and if there's one team that always seems to stick in Guardiola's craw, it's Tottenham. Particularly away from home. Guardiola's first defeat in England came at the old White Hart Lane and he lost his first five visits to the shiny new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without scoring a goal.
City ended their hoodoo in N17 by knocking Spurs out of the FA Cup in January, but their record there still reads as one goal in six matches. So it's hardly the ideal place for them to visit in their penultimate game of the season on May 16.