Advantage Man City in EPL title race

LONDON (AP):

With a certain inevitability, Manchester City are suddenly in charge of the English Premier League (EPL) title race.

Arsenal and Liverpool both produced lethargic performances under pressure and lost home matches yesterday, leaving City – seeking an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title – with a two-point lead with six games remaining.

After Liverpool lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace for their first league defeat at Anfield in 18 months, Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa for their first league defeat in 2024.

With the three contenders entering this weekend separated by one point, this season’s title race was being billed as the best in years – and potentially one for the ages.

There might still be twists and turns, but many will be ready to already crown City, which beat Luton 5-1 on Saturday and rarely drop points in the final months of title campaigns, as the likely top team in England.

Again.

It was around this time of the year that Arsenal started to implode last season as a typically fast-finishing City reeled in Mikel Arteta’s team.

Has it happened again? Playing between a double-header against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, Arsenal’s players certainly lacked their usual spark as goals by Leon Bailey in the 84th and Ollie Watkins – who grew up supporting Arsenal – earned fourth-place Villa a big win in their own bid for Champions League qualification.

“It was going to happen at some stage,” Arteta said. “With the games we had, it was going to happen. Now how we react to it is going to be the key.”

Since losing to Fulham on December 31, Arsenal had won 10 of their 11 games in the league and drawn the other one.

“With the amount of games we have won in a row, in any other league in the world you are six or eight points clear,” Arteta said. “It’s not the case, now but this is the challenge.”

It will have been a satisfying victory for Villa manager Unai Emery, who was fired by Arsenal in 2019 after 18 months in charge as long-time coach Arsene Wenger’s replacement.

Arsenal have the best defence in England but have conceded four goals at home in the space of five days after a 2-2 draw with Bayern last Tuesday.

A few hours earlier at Anfield, Liverpool – playing three days after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League quarterfinals – failed to respond to going behind to Eberechi Eze’s 14th-minute goal.

Liverpool’s season is falling apart. It wasn’t long ago that the team was on for a quadruple of trophies in Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge, with the English League Cup already secured.