London, April 13 (BNA): In track and field parlance, Arsenal were hoping their relentless pace over the last few laps of the Premier League race had taken the pressure off Manchester City’s finishing specialists as the bell approached.
Reuters said that Arsenal’s victory in seven league matches allowed them to maintain their lead over their forwards, but they simply could not overcome coach Pep Guardiola’s side.
And this weekend, they could start to feel City’s hot breath on their backs with the prospect of cutting the deficit to three points by the time they start against relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday.
Champions City have faced all of Arsenal’s moves in recent weeks and seem to be hitting their best at the perfect time, just as they usually do.
Arsenal’s squandering of a 2-0 lead only to just escape a 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend means City will host a frustrated Leicester City side on Saturday with the chance to increase the pressure on the London outfit.
For Leicester’s newly appointed caretaker manager, Dean Smith, it could hardly be a worse scenario as he tries to pull the club out of its death spiral with seven defeats in its last eight league matches.
Smith must find a way to stop a City side who have won nine straight matches in all competitions, scoring 34 goals and conceding three in the process.
The manner in which City defeated Bayern Munich on Tuesday to secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals would have sent Arsenal fans shuddering.
Guardiola said he was 10 years old during the 3-0 win over Bayern in which Erling Haaland set a new record for goals in one season by a player in the Premier League.
But it is Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta who could feel the pressure this weekend as he attempts to secure the club’s first English title since 2004.
Arsenal were so brilliant in the first 35 minutes at Anfield that victory seemed assured.
However, in the end, there was a slight sense of panic as Liverpool sprinted all over and would have won but for some massive stoppage time saves from Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale.
West Ham’s victory over Fulham last week put them three points above the relegation zone and could be an embarrassing obstacle for Arsenal, although Arteta’s team has proven to be masters of the London away derbies this season, winning by five points.
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