Arsenal had heard the gibe, from fans of a Wigan team in the lower half of League One and a Wolves side marooned at the bottom of the Premier League. “Second again” may have become part of the banter-sphere. This time, though, the danger is that they end up second in a one-horse race.
Defeat at Manchester City left them still top and with what looks an easier fixture list, but with Pep Guardiola’s team on the charge and Mikel Arteta’s on a run of four defeats against English clubs. They produced their best performance in that time at the Etihad Stadium. The pragmatist in Arteta still got no points, whereas one would have kept the distance to his former club.
Declan Rice’s on-pitch message at full-time – “it’s not done” – was notable because that it amounted to an acceptance some would think it is. April can be the cruellest month for Arteta; last year, points were dropped against Everton, Brentford and Crystal Palace, while 2024 brought a home defeat to Aston Villa and 2023 saw a four-game winless run. Whether physically or psychologically, Arsenal can be worn down by this stage of the season.
And if they still put in a colossal effort on Sunday, a side whose mentality have been questioned faced a further taunt. “Panic on the streets of London,” read the banner the City supporters unveiled on the final whistle, borrowing from The Smiths. If anyone was panicking, it seemed to be Gabriel Magalhaes, who was fortunate to avoid a red card for aiming a headbutt at Erling Haaland. The reprieve could be significant. The Brazilian would have been banned for the games against Newcastle, Fulham and West Ham. He already has a winner against Newcastle to his name this season.
A namesake presented other issues. Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time equaliser against City at the Emirates Stadium may yet prove the most significant strike of the season. But when he was brought on at the Etihad, it seemed in part for his promise of defensive diligence. Yet the winger repeatedly failed to track Nico O’Reilly, most crucially when the left-back set up Haaland’s winner.
Arteta ended up noting that games were decided in two penalty areas. And yet at least one used to be Arsenal’s fortress. Theirs was an iron defence at the start of the season. Now they only have two clean sheets in their last 11 domestic fixtures. They have allowed 27 shots on target in their last eight league games; by comparison, they only afforded opponents 26 in their opening 12.
There will nonetheless be a greater focus on their attacking efforts. Arteta may feel he was an inch or two from seeing his entire recruitment strategy justified. Eberechi Eze set up Martinelli’s goal in September and struck the inside of the post on Sunday. The policy of dividing the budget, and trying to cover every base, had resulted in the arrivals of Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Eze for a combined £170m. Arsenal might have been better off buying two players of a higher class and cost. The striking superstar on show on Sunday was Haaland.
It may be unfair to compare Gyokeres with his fellow Scandinavian; apart from Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, all other strikers may come up short in such a situation. And yet the contrast between them had never felt starker. Haaland was ubiquitous, Gyokeres anonymous to such an extent that he was first dropped and then, when he came on, failed to touch the ball, losing a header to the diminutive Bernardo Silva.
Arsenal may yet win the title, which would look a vindication of sorts for buying the Swede. They have only scored four times in their last six games, and he has got two of those. He has 11 goals in 2026, whereas others have found them scarcer. And yet it is hard to escape the sense his arrival was a failure of scouting. Arsenal may have been blinded by the extraordinary numbers – 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP – and failed to see the considerable evidence of his limitations.
A focus on Gyokeres could feel unjust. A broader problem is that Arsenal’s accumulation of attackers are not devastating enough. Madueke, after all, has no goal in eight games, Martinelli, none in 14 appearances, Leandro Trossard none in 22, the injured Bukayo Saka just two in 24. Havertz’s strike against City was his first in the Premier League this season, and it came from charging down a goalkeeper’s clearance. The German missed two subsequent chances. He nevertheless looked Arsenal’s best available centre-forward; perhaps the absence of a fine finisher, in Mikel Merino, is hurting them.
One way or another, goals could be decisive. If City go top on Wednesday, it might be on goals scored, failing that on goal difference. A lack of firepower might mean Arsenal do not achieve their goals. And if they are second again, it should be all the more galling as this was the season when they had looked to be the only team in title contention.
