Arsenal regained top spot in the Premier League over the weekend as Mikel Arteta’s side brushed aside an out-of-sorts Brighton with impressive ease, while Liverpool made a cock-up of their trip to face Manchester United at Old Trafford.
But with only a goal difference separating Arsenal and Liverpool (while a purring Manchester City are only a point further adrift), just a single slip-up could prove costly for Mikel Arteta’s squad as they attempt to go one better than last season.
Widely recognised as having the toughest run-in of the Premier League’s top three, Arsenal’s defensive resoluteness (ignore the Bayern game) sets them up to stand firm against upcoming adversity but their testing run of matches means they will certainly have earned the title if they edge out Liverpool and City to claim their first league trophy since 2004.
But most importantly, where could they bottle it? On the road against a Big Six rival, or perhaps on the final day against relegation-threatened Everton? From least to most likely, we have ranked their remaining league matches on the likelihood of Arteta’s team dropping points…
7) AFC Bournemouth (H) – Sat, May 4 (12.30)
This fixture last season sent the over-celebrating debate into overdrive as Reiss Nelson completed Arsenal’s stunning comeback from 2-0 down with a 97th-minute winner to make it 3-2.
At the time, Bournemouth were fighting to avoid relegation under Gary O’Neil and this heart-breaking loss breathed fresh life into their season as they eventually cruised to safety. Fast-forward to now and a season of peaks and troughs under head coach Andoni Iraola has already all but seen the Cherries secure their Premier League status for another season.
Bournemouth will therefore have very little to play for when they visit Arsenal and while this factor makes the fixture dangerous in a different sense to last season, Arsenal’s immense home form and their opponent’s situation make a repeat of last season’s madness unlikely.
Arsenal over-celebrate…
6) Everton (H) – Sun, May 19 (16.00)
The threat level of this match is largely dependent on where Sean Dyche’s side finds themselves by the final game of this season. Their second points deduction of the campaign leaves them two points clear of safety with a game in hand.
The Toffees were enduring a torrid 2024 but have picked up four points against Newcastle United and Burnley to boost morale, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin returning to the scoresheet is an additional bonus.
Don’t get me wrong, Everton are not anything special by any means. But Dyche’s presence adds to the gut instinct that they *should* be okay by the final day, where they could just be cannon fodder for Arsenal. However, if the visitors still require points to meet their safety goal, this game would become more complicated.
READ MORE: Man Utd absurdity and Pochettino failure among 10 disappointments of 23/24
5) Aston Villa (H) – Sun, Apr 14 (16.30)
While Arsenal’s end-of-season crumble is yet to arrive (and may not at all, you never know), Unai Emery should be furious following Aston Villa’s nine-minute capitulation in the 3-3 draw against Brentford on Saturday.
The top-four hopefuls have only won one of their last five Premier League games as Tottenham have been gifted the ascendency in the race for the Champions League.
While Villa are capable of disturbing Arsenal’s promotion tilt, the current trajectory of the two teams suggests it will be another home win for the Gunners when they meet at the Emirates on Sunday.
4) Wolves (A) – Sat, May 20 (19.30)
The first of three tough away games to feature here is Arsenal’s upcoming trip to Molineux to battle this season’s surprise package in Wolves.
O’Neil’s emergence as the ‘next big thing’ in English coaching has been nothing short of remarkable and he’s right to scoff at Man Utd’s reported ‘demotion’ plans for the ‘head coach’.
Wolves remain on track for a top-half finish after being widely tipped for relegation before the season started and their impressive record against Big Six clubs has boosted their hopes. Having already beaten Man City, Tottenham and Chelsea at Molineux, could Arsenal be next?
3) Chelsea (H) – Tue, Apr 23 (20.00)
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea are far from the final product despite investing over £1bn on signings since his consortium completed its takeover in 2022 and their youthful squad have been majorly impacted by inconsistency in Mauricio Pochettino’s debut season as head coach.
In the last month alone, Chelsea have dropped points against Burnley and Sheffield United but beaten Newcastle United and Man Utd.
With Cole Palmer coming to the fore, Chelsea will – if they turn up – be a tricky opponent for Arsenal and are capable of pulling off an upset later this month. But if they fold like they often have this season, it’s equally as likely to be one-way traffic at the Emirates.
2) Manchester United (A) – Sat, May 11 (15.00)
Man Utd are just as difficult to predict as Chelsea but Erik ten Hag’s infuriating team – despite not playing particularly well – held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw on Sunday.
Speaking post-match, Klopp warned Man Utd that they will lose to Arsenal “if they play like they did” at the weekend. Is this gamesmanship from the Liverpool boss? Yes. But he’s also spot on.
Liverpool’s inability to punish Man Utd came back to haunt them in the FA Cup and this same fault could prove costly in the title race.
As bad as Ten Hag’s side were at times on Sunday (and for most of this season), the individual quality of certain players and the added complication of playing at Old Trafford is a concern for Arsenal heading into their penultimate game of this league campaign.
READ MORE: Four Arsenal players make it into Premier League XI of the season so far
1) Tottenham Hotspur (A) – Sun, Apr 28 (14.00)
Spurs are a few steps behind their north London rivals in the progression scale but they are on an upward trajectory under loveable head coach Ange Postecoglou.
It’s another season without a trophy for Tottenham but with Champions League qualification looking likely at this point, it stands to be a successful debut campaign for Postecoglou and it would be made an awful lot better from their perspective if they manage to take points off Arsenal at the end of this month.
The north London derby is often the rivalry which serves up the most entertaining games in the Premier League and the 2-2 draw at the Emirates in September could easily be exceeded by what’s to come on April 28.
As proven by recent results against Aston Villa and Fulham, Postecoglou’s all-out playing style has had a few teething issues this season and while Arsenal are the stronger of the two teams overall, this means very little when it comes to this derby, especially with so much at stake for each side this time around.
Thomas Lupo
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