da dobrowin： The Gunners have proved they are a much tougher team than last season, but it will be near impossible to pip Pep Guardiola's side to the title
da cassino： For a moment, it looked like Arsenal were about to throw it all away. When Son Heung-min blasted his penalty into the top corner, harrowing memories of last season's capitulations at Anfield and the London Stadium must have come flooding back for Mikel Arteta and so many of his players.
But there was no last-minute collapse this time, as Arsenal gritted their teeth and ground out a win against Tottenham that ensured they would end Sunday still top of the Premier League. This Gunners side are made of sterner stuff than their predecessors, even the team that came so close to winning the title last year.
"We had to suffer in the second half to win the game," said Arteta. "The team has another tool, something else to grab when you come to the bigger stage, you just have to win it."
But despite being better equipped than any previous Arsenal outfit to win the club a first league title in two decades, there must have been a sinking feeling among the squad and their millions of fans around the world when they caught up with events at the City Ground later in the day.
Manchester City were at their most unconvincing at Nottingham Forest, losing the ball on a dry and cut-up pitch and feeding endless chances to their hosts, yet they escaped with a 2-0 win to make it five consecutive victories since their stalemate with Arsenal. And despite the best efforts of Arteta's side, it looks as if City are going to pip them to the title once more…
(C)Getty ImagesNo collapse this time
Arsenal know that they must win their three remaining games to stand a chance of pipping City to the title, and after surviving an angst-ridden finale against their local rivals, they will view their final trio of games as winnable.
Next up is a home match against a decent Bournemouth side but ultimately one with little to play for. Then they head to a dis-jointed and highly unpredictable Manchester United, who will also have little to play for after missing out on Champions League football and who are guaranteed to allow them at least 20 shots. And given a Red Devils' victory would effectively hand the title to City, there will be no great clamour from the home crowd for their side to win.
Arsenal end the season at home to Everton, a team they routinely thrash at the Emirates Stadium and who also have nothing to play for after securing their Premier League status. There should be no repeat of last year's spectacular collapse for the Gunners.
AdvertisementGetty'Reason to believe'
"Last year we didn’t [handle the run-in well], we went to West Ham and we needed a result and we missed a penalty, and then against Liverpool we conceded in the 91st minute and we were not capable," Arteta said.
"The judgement is going to be based on the result – if we concede a goal in the last minute [against Tottenham] and it’s 3-3… The margins are so small so we don’t get carried away with ourselves. Just understand that we have to be better and the margin for improvement, and go again against Bournemouth which is going to be really tough."
He knows his players will give everything and, unlike last year, push City all the way. "One hundred percent. I have seen that the whole season and they have given me reason to believe that every single day. They have the motivation so I am expecting that they will have a real go," he added.
And yet, at the bottom of his heart, Arteta must also feel pessimistic about the prospect of City dropping any points in their remaining four matches.
GettyCity are equally resilient
If it ever looked like City were going to drop points, then Sunday's game against a Forest side with fire in their bellies after their controversial defeat by Everton looked like it would be it. Chris Wood missed golden chances in either half and Murillo hit the bar from a couple of yards out. City's breakthrough goal from Josko Gvardiol, meanwhile, came from a corner.
It just feels like everything is going City's way, and it must be hugely demoralising for Arsenal. Arteta's side may have a tougher backbone than in the past, but City are equally resilient, if not more so, and have more resources to call upon.
Ederson had to go off injured and he may miss the rest of the season, but Stefan Ortega is an excellent back-up. The German dealt much better than Ederson had done with Forest's aerial threat and he reacted superbly to the home side's best effort of the game, flying towards his left top corner to tip Callum Hudson-Odoi's venomous shot away.
Getty Haaland is back
And when City needed a second goal to see off the threat from Forest once and for all, they were able to call upon Erling Haaland. This was the perfect scenario for Haaland, facing a tired opponent who had to push down the other end for an equaliser. He was able to nip in behind and count upon a typically astute delivery from Kevin De Bruyne, from which he effectively settled the game.
Haaland has been criticised for his performances in the toughest games this season, having drawn blanks in both matches against Real Madrid and against Liverpool and Arsenal, having been labelled "almost a League Two striker" by Roy Keane after the latter. But there can be no doubt he is a flat-track bully and usually fills his boots against mid-table opposition. He will be confident of adding to his 21 league goals for the season in the final games against Wolves, Fulham, West Ham and Tottenham.
He has scored four goals in his last three matches against Wolves, including a hat-trick in last year's fixture at the Etihad Stadium. He has netted five times in three games versus Fulham, including getting a treble earlier this season. He has four against West Ham.