Arsenal’s Two-decade desire vs. City’s last-day experience

The 2023/24 English Premier League season is set for a dramatic climax on Sunday, 19 May.

After nine months and nine days of thrilling twists and turns, Manchester City are poised to secure a historic fourth consecutive title. However, their rival, Arsenal, still clings to the slim hope that West Ham can pull off an upset victory at the Etihad, igniting an unlikely Arsenal win.

Welcome to the last 90 minutes of a see-saw season that will end in either ecstasy or agony.

We’ve been here before with Pep Guardiola’s City team. The Cityzens pipped Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool by one point at the end of the 2021/22 season and also edged them in the 2018/19 season, finishing with 98 points—one better than Liverpool, who lost just once that season to, you guessed it, to Guardiola’s City on matchday 21.

In the 2022/23 season, City’s margin over Arsenal stood at five points after Mikel Arteta’s side lost three of their last six matches, including a loss to City on matchday 33. Going into matchday 38, the gap is two.

Arteta is now praying that West Ham can answer the prayers of millions of Arsenal fans. “We have to wish for the best and for West Ham to have a really good day and help us to fulfil our dream,” the Spaniard said on the Arsenal website.

He added, “We are on the last day of the season playing for the Premier League. The Premier League trophy hasn’t been at Emirates Stadium since it was built almost 20 years ago, so that’s a long, long time. Yes, we have to be very optimistic. We have to do our duties, and then we have to wait and see what happens.”

How Can Arsenal Win the Title?

Scenario 1: City draws against West Ham, and Arsenal beats Everton. They both finish on the same points, but the Gunners will take the title due to their superior goal difference.
Scenario 2: City loses to West Ham and Arsenal defeats Everton. The Gunners will finish with 89 points, one better than City’s 88 points.

Arsenal’s official website reveals that “no team in 35 years has started the final day of an English top-flight season second in the table and gone on to win the league, but the last team to do so was ourselves [Arsenal] famously in 1989.”

Can it happen again?

Arteta sure hopes so. “The only thing that we have discussed is giving ourselves the opportunity to live a beautiful day on Sunday where the dream is still alive. Once we are there, we just have to live in the moment, play like every single week, and understand that for that dream to happen, we have to win. Then we have to hope again for West Ham to help us achieve that dream.”

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City is not taking anything for granted, as Guardiola believes his team has to be perfect against the Hammers to win a historic fourth consecutive EPL title. “We want to experience [winning the title] again, but you have to perform and do something to win,” Guardiola said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

READ ALSO: EPL: Haaland nets twice as Man City edge closer to historic fourth consecutive title

Guardiola believes only a win will give City the title, and he has told his players as much. “Destiny is in our hands. You are wrong if you think Arsenal will lose or drop at Old Trafford—forget about it. Thinking Everton tomorrow will do something—forget it. The chance they give us. Now it’s up to us; they lose a game, and we have the chance to be champions at home. Liverpool in the past, it’s not going to happen. We have to win; otherwise, Arsenal will be champions,” Guardiola added.

Attention will be focused on the Etihad and Emirates on Sunday, with the EPL revealing there will be two identical trophies at both stadiums to prepare for any possible outcome. Kick-off is at 4 p.m