Online Reporter
MANCHESTER City can ramp up the pressure on English Premier League football leaders Arsenal by cutting the gap at the top to just three points when they face Fulham tonight, a day before the Gunners travel to in-form Brentford.
Arsenal remain in pole position for a first title in 22 years, but City’s dramatic late rally to beat Liverpool on Sunday could prove a turning point for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Another defeat damaged Liverpool’s chances of Champions League qualification and Arne Slot’s threadbare squad face another tough task in midweek away to Sunderland. Tottenham and Newcastle are in even deeper trouble in the bottom half of the table, raising doubts over the future of respective managers Thomas Frank and Eddie Howe.
Bernardo Silva conceded even the City players thought the title race would have been all but over with had they not turned around a 1-0 deficit with six minutes remaining at Anfield.
The question now is whether a seismic win for Guardiola’s side can be the launching pad towards another league title.
City have made a habit of finishing strongly in Guardiola’s six title-winning seasons in England, but have won just two of their seven league games in 2026.
“We need to believe and to start winning games. This is what matters in the end,” said Erling Haaland, who is demanding more of himself in the title run-in.
The Norwegian is the runaway leader for the Golden Boot but has scored just once from open play in his last 13 appearances.
“I haven’t scored enough goals since the start of this year and I know that I need to improve,” added Haaland.
With a favourable run of fixtures before Arsenal visit the Etihad in mid-April, City have the chance to really test the Gunners mettle in the run-in. Mikel Arteta’s men have bounced back from their own January wobble with four straight wins in all competitions. But a buoyant Brentford that have lost just twice at home all season will provide a stiff test of Arsenal’s title challenge. Last season’s title winners look increasingly likely to miss out on the Champions League next season with Liverpool now four points adrift of the top five.
Worse could be still to come for Arne Slot as they travel to a Sunderland side boasting the only undefeated home record in the Premier League.
Already short of options due to a mounting injury list, the Reds will be without their star performer in a difficult season, Dominik Szoboszlai, after his controversial late red card against City.
With Manchester United and Chelsea having on paper easier tasks this week, Liverpool could find themselves cut further adrift to ramp up speculation on Slot’s future. It says much for the domination of the Champions League by English sides this season that both Tottenham and Newcastle cruised into the knock-out stages but find themselves mired in the bottom half of the Premier League.
FIXTURES:
Today: Aston Villa v Brighton, Crystal Palace v Burnley, Man City v Fulham, Nottingham Forest v Wolves (all 9:30pm), Sunderland v Liverpool (10:15pm)
Tomorrow: Brentford v Arsenal (10pm) — AFP Sport.
