The Premier League title race is hotting up with season-long leaders Arsenal being chased down by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in their hunt for a first top-flight trophy since 2004.
Mikel Arteta’s side have come agonisingly close to being named champions of England for the last three seasons, finishing second to both City and Liverpool, but looked to be the favourites to take the crown this year after a blazing start.
However, the Gunners’ faltering form in April coupled with Manchester City’s upswing in form blew open the title race doors. City appeared to be peaking at just the right time but their dramatic draw at Everton provided another twist in this fascinating race for the title.
– Manchester City left frustrated by rescheduled fixtures amid title run-in
Arsenal’s remaining fixtures
West Ham (A)
Date: May 10
Position in table: 18
A survival battle vs. title charge. West Ham’s thrashing at Brentford meant they slipped back into the relegation zone with Tottenham’s win over Aston Villa pushing them up to 17th. With both teams having a lot to fight for, this is sure to be a tense battle at the London Stadium.
Burnley (H)
Date: May 18
Position in table: 19
Arsenal’s trip to Turf Moor early in the season saw one of summer signing Viktor Gyökeres’ best performances as he settled to life in red. Bagging a goal and an assist was the result Gyökeres needed to ease the noise around Arsenal’s much needed striker. With Burnley’s relegation to the Championship already confirmed, this should be an good opportunity for the Swedish striker to up his goal tally this season.
Crystal Palace (A)
Date: May 24
Position in table: 14
Eberechi Eze returns to Crystal Palace on the final day of the season in what could be one of the most important matches of his career should the title race come down to the wire. Having scored against City to secure the club’s first piece of silverware in the 2025 FA Cup final, Eze could prove to be a vital signing for Arsenal as they hope to lift the Premier League trophy. Palace, however, could have their focus elsewhere with a successful run in Europe so far this season.
Manchester City’s remaining fixtures
Brentford (H)
Date: May 9
Position in table: 7
One of, if not the, surprise package of the season. Keith Andrews has done remarkable work with the Bees this season — especially given many backed them to be in a relegation fight at this stage. It’s quite the opposite as the west London outfit also have hopes of European football next season and will be up for this one as City visit. Igor Thiago‘s sensational form means Erling Haaland is ahead of him in the Premier League goalscoring charts this term.
Crystal Palace (H)
Date: May 13
Position in table: 15
Palace won’t be getting relegated, nor will they be chasing European places which means they will have little to play for. There’s also a potential run in the UEFA Conference League after an impressive semifinal first leg victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. Palace are one of the favourites for the trophy and that is very much the focus.
Bournemouth (A)
Date: May 19
Position in table: 6
As Arsenal found out, the Cherries can’t be underestimated. They’re currently on a 13 game unbeaten streak in the Premier League and have powered up the table after some indifferent form. The loss of Antoine Semenyo hit them hard but they’ve rebounded well and Andoni Iraola’s sweeping brand of football is difficult to contain. This has potential banana skin written all over it and looks to be up there with the most difficult games left for Guardiola’s side — and it will be their third game in seven days, after being rescheduled to accommodate their FA Cup final vs. Chelsea on May 16.
Aston Villa (H)
Date: May 24
Position in table: 5
Unai Emery’s side are very much in a race of their own — this time for the Champions League places. They’re battling it out closely with several teams and this game away to City could be vital in that pursuit. Their form hasn’t been particularly great and Wolves, Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea all picked up three points against Villa. There’s also a run in Europe that could take their eye off the Premier League.
City have won the title before against Villa at home — they memorably beat Liverpool to the title by just one point in the 2021/22 season, when they came back from two goals down to beat the Midlands side 3-2 and wrap up their sixth Premier League title.