Arsenal’s hopes of clinching the Premier League title were unsettled by a familiar pattern as they struggled again after facing Brentford. Some weeks they appear unstoppable; other times, they look vulnerable. After another unimpressive display at Brentford, a clear, repeating theme has emerged for Arsenal in recent weeks.
Since the calendar turned to the new year, Arsenal have found it hard to respond to Manchester City’s results in the title race. This marked the fourth time Mikel Arteta’s team have played after City in the same gameweek and ended up dropping points.
This week City glided past Fulham, while Arsenal stumbled against their west London rivals the following day. They then lost to Manchester United the day after City defeated Wolves.
Earlier in the season, Arsenal failed to widen their gap over Pep Guardiola’s side at Nottingham Forest shortly after City’s derby disappointment, and they also dropped points against Liverpool when City’s points tally slipped at Brighton.
When Arsenal take the lead, they often look like a different side. Last weekend, there were no nerves against Sunderland, which came just before City’s dramatic game at Liverpool.
They travel to Elland Road—another tough venue—and even lost their star forward Bukayo Saka during the warm-up, which made the road to City’s game at Spurs look easier.
Arsenal found a way to win at Bournemouth the Saturday before City hosted Chelsea on Super Sunday. Even when they faced Aston Villa at home, they secured a result that carried more weight than their Brentford showing, and that came just a day before City were in action.
Arteta rejects the idea that finishing second affects his side. “I don’t think so. We’ve played well after them several times this season, and we’ve won,” he said.
He has a point. Arsenal’s narrow December victories over Brighton and Everton came within hours of City’s wins, but we’re now in 2026, and the finish line feels closer while other cup competitions intensify. More probing questions will be asked, and the anxiety of finally sealing the title will grow.
Arteta suggested Arsenal’s latest dropped points stemmed from a lack of defensive solidity against one of the most chaotic teams in the league, Brentford. “We lacked certain things against them; you have to defend those situations, or at least prevent them,” he said. “You want to give them no chance, or simply hope something bad happens, and we didn’t manage that well enough throughout the game.”
But could the pressure of following City’s fixture impact them? There were moments in the Brentford match when Arsenal didn’t look themselves. In the first three minutes, Gabriel misplayed a pass that led to a Brentford corner, then committed several fouls that nearly earned him a dismissal. Earlier, a sloppy throw from goalkeeper David Raya set up a big Brentford chance, a mistake reminiscent of a prior error that allowed Manchester United’s equaliser at the Emirates in January.
Gabriel Martinelli has missed big chances against Forest and Brentford. When he’s in form in high-pressure situations—most notably against City in September—he can deliver. Title races can warp players’ performances, and even with Arsenal’s depth, City’s experience in closing out titles may be a decisive factor.
Whether the schedule matters or not, Arsenal must address their recent issue of playing after City—and soon. They host Wolves on Wednesday, a fixture City cannot respond to, before Guardiola’s side plays twice more in the following gameweeks.
Those matches will include two more London derbies that will pose similar questions to those faced at Brentford: a week on Sunday they face Tottenham, who may enjoy a ‘new-manager bounce’ after Thomas Frank’s departure, and a week later Chelsea visit the Emirates—Liam Rosenior’s side already showing they can stir nerves at the ground.
In just five days, Arsenal have slipped from nine points clear to a four-point cushion for City to chase, and the title race is very much alive.
Would you like this rewrite to lean more into tactical analysis, fan sentiment, or a neutral balance of both? Also, would you prefer a shorter, punchier version or a more expansive, example-rich rewrite?
