"Panic is gripping London," a Manchester City banner proclaimed at the final whistle. With his hair down, Erling Haaland was singing along to Flo Rida's "Oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling." It's a familiar tune for many.

Despite leading the Premier League for 201 consecutive days, Arsenal may relinquish their top spot to Manchester City on Wednesday night. History seems to be repeating itself, as it did three seasons ago when Mikel Arteta's side led the 2022/23 table for 247 days before ultimately losing it to City in the final weeks. This time around, however, Arsenal's performance was a positive one, defying pre-match expectations.

At the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal did not play poorly, and their high press, led by returning captain Martin Odegaard, was particularly effective. The team won the ball back in the final third five times in the opening 25 minutes, including Kai Havertz's equalizer. Odegaard's decision-making in and out of possession was impressive, and his partnership with Havertz and Declan Rice showed promise. Arsenal's attacking partnerships looked more dangerous, and they created 1.53 worth of expected goals, the most City had conceded in a Premier League match in ten days.

The game was on a knife's edge at times, with Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli missing crucial one-on-one chances. Eberechi Eze also struck the post, putting City on the ropes.

However, four minutes later, Haaland scored, dealing a significant blow to Arsenal's title hopes. Despite this setback, the title race is far from over. As Arteta said, "We were close, not close enough." At full-time, Declan Rice was heard saying, "It's not done," and Arteta added, "We have full belief we can do it.

Today we have shown the team that we are. It's still in our hands, and it's there for the taking." Guardiola also recognizes that momentum can shift quickly, saying, "Momentum changes. People said to me that the momentum from Arsenal is bad.

What I saw today wasn't a bad momentum. Momentum shifts in one instance." So, how can Arsenal recover from this setback and win the title?

Part of the challenge is that while City have the title race in their hands, so do the Gunners. If both teams win all their remaining games, the Premier League title will come down to who scores the most goals. With two of the top scorers in the Golden Boot race, City seem well-placed to achieve this, but Arsenal need to find their own attacking freedom.

There were signs of this at the Etihad Stadium, particularly with Odegaard's return to form. This was only his fourth start alongside Eze, and the first time either player had made it beyond half-time in those matches. With their best players available, Arsenal's chances of success increase.

If Bukayo Saka returns from injury soon, Arsenal could start a trio of him, Odegaard, and Havertz in the Premier League for the first time since December 2024. The team has another gear to reach. Additionally, City are not perfect and have more difficult fixtures ahead. The microscope will be on Guardiola's side when they visit Everton and Bournemouth, while Arsenal play out-of-form Fulham and a relegated Burnley.

The possibility of Arsenal picking up more points than City cannot be ruled out. As Arteta said after the game, "They are now more convinced. They were talking about it in the dressing room.

It's a new league now. Everything is still to play for. We know how much we want it, and we are not going to stop." Both title rivals have strengths and weaknesses, and come Wednesday night, both teams could sit on 70 points with the same number of games left. City's win and Arsenal's defeat may seem like a standout moment, but Guardiola's side have only earned the right to make the title race neck-and-neck.

The race, or the shoot-out, is on.