Massive Blow to Arsenal's Title Hopes as Man City Destroys Them at the Etihad

Manchester City dealt a severe setback to Arsenal's aspirations of securing their first Premier League championship in 19 years by convincingly defeating the North London team 4-1.

Despite Arsenal's impressive performance throughout the season, it seems that Manchester City has reached their peak at the ideal moment, and their superior skills and expertise will likely be the deciding factor in this year's championship battle.

Since February, Guardiola's team has remained undefeated and has hit their peak performance just as Arsenal's form has declined. With City now the favourite to win the league, their unstoppable momentum has set them on course to potentially win three titles.

Erling Haaland's impressive hold-up play allowed De Bruyne to score confidently from afar, giving the Citizens an early and well-deserved lead.

Following a challenging first half, the visitors' situation worsened when John Stones scored a fantastic header, doubling their lead. Although his goal was initially ruled offside, a lengthy VAR review resulted in the decision being overturned.

Given their recent history of comebacks, fans of the Gunners would have likely been optimistic for a dramatic shift in momentum during the second half.

Despite the Gunners' hopes, Pep Guardiola's team maintained their dominance throughout the match. Kevin De Bruyne, who was having an outstanding game, scored his second goal with 54 minutes on the clock. He skillfully guided the ball into the net with his reliable right foot, securing their victory.

Arsenal managed to claw one back late on through Rob Holding before Haaland finished the game off in style to make it 4-1 – his 49th goal of the season.

The fact that Arsenal has lost six points in the league and has been unable to keep a clean sheet since William Saliba sustained an injury during their match against Sporting Lisbon in March is not a coincidence.

Despite showing impressive improvement under Arteta's leadership, Arsenal still struggle to compete with City, as evidenced by their latest loss, marking their twelfth consecutive Premier League defeat against them. 

This is Arsenal's longest losing streak against a single team, and they have yet to win in all seven visits to Etihad Stadium since Guardiola became the coach.

Throughout these twelve matches, Arsenal has only scored three goals while City has scored a total of twenty, and Arsenal has failed to score in eight of the twelve games.

 Arteta, who worked as Guardiola's assistant for many years, has yet to defeat his mentor in the league, having attempted to do so on seven occasions.

Thoughts on the title race after that game at the Etihad? Who is your money on?