Few pitfalls on Manchester City's path to Premier League glory after devastating defeat of Arsenal

Manchester City demolished Premier League title rivals Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday night and they will be aiming to cap another excellent week with a weekend win at Fulham which would take them top of the table.

City have been chasing Arsenal for much of the season although they did hit the front in the title race, briefly, after February's 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Three days later the Gunners were back on top thanks to City's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest but Pep Guardiola's men do not look in the mood for any further slip-ups in their pursuit of a fifth league title in six seasons.

For now, Arsenal are two points clear of the Citizens, who have played two games fewer, but the old adage about preferring to have points on the board than games in hand seems irrelevant after City's dominant midweek display.

The title betting certainly suggests that Wednesday's result was a knockout blow as the champions are 1-12 to win the league with Arsenal out to 17-2, from 100-30 before their defeat at the Etihad Stadium. Bet365 offer 25-1 that City win the title by ten or more points while it is 4-1 that their winning margin is between seven to nine points.

Mikel Arteta's side have had an outstanding campaign, having been 50-1 in the ante-post title betting, but the gulf between them and City was brutally exposed at the Etihad.

The 4-1 scoreline flattered the Gunners, who fell behind to a brilliant Kevin De Bruyne strike in the seventh minute and never managed to get a foothold in the game.

Arsenal were grateful for the fact that Erling Haaland had a rare off night in front of goal, finally beating Aaron Ramsdale in the 95th minute with his sixth attempt, while the Gunners' only shots on target were Rob Holding's late consolation strike and a tame effort from Granit Xhaka.

It was a ruthless reminder of the lofty standards set by Guardiola's City, who have finished the last five league seasons with points totals of 100, 98, 81, 86 and 93. They are 5-4 with Paddy Power to win the league, FA Cup and Champions League and odds-on for the treble with other bookmakers.

What's next for Manchester City?

The rout of Arsenal was City's 12th win in their last 13 matches in all competitions and their only recent blip was a 1-1 second-leg draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals after they had won the home leg 3-0.

Nine of those 12 wins were by at least a three-goal margin, including victories over Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool and RB Leipzig, who were thumped 7-0 in the Champions League last 16.

There are few potential pitfalls in City's Premier League run-in as Sunday's trip to Fulham is followed by home games against West Ham and Leeds. The away fixture at Brighton, now scheduled for May 24, looks their toughest test in the league as Chelsea, who visit the Etihad three days earlier, are in disarray. Bet365 make the champions 11-2 to win their last seven league games and take their tally of victories for the season to 30.

The Citizens are 1-4 to beat Fulham and go top of the table this weekend and 4-11 to lift the FA Cup on June 3, when they face derby rivals Manchester United at Wembley.

European champions Real Madrid pose the biggest threat to City's treble tilt and Pep's men travel to the Bernabeu for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on May 9, between the league fixtures against Leeds and Everton.

Real won last season's semi-final clash in extraordinary circumstances, trailing 5-3 on aggregate going into the 90th minute of the second leg before Rodrygo's brace set up an extra-time victory.

City dominated the tie but scored with only one of their ten shots on target in the second leg and were made to pay for their profligacy. Things should be different this season with Haaland, whose 33 Premier League goals have come from an xG of around 24, significantly sharpening up their finishing.

What's next for Arsenal?

Even before their crushing defeat at City, it had been a tough month for Arteta's young Gunners, who blew 2-0 leads in draws at Liverpool and West Ham and needed two late goals to salvage a 3-3 draw at home to bottom club Southampton.

City ruthlessly took advantage of Arsenal's defensive uncertainty and the long-time league leaders have conceded 13 goals in six league games since key centre-back William Saliba was injured against Sporting in the Europa League.

The Gunners must pick themselves up swiftly if their fine campaign is not to peter out. On Tuesday they host a Chelsea side on a five-game losing streak before a testing trip to in-form Newcastle and a home game against Brighton. Arsenal finish the campaign away to Nottingham Forest and at home to Wolves and, if they win their five remaining fixtures, they would end up with 90 points. 

They have shown their resilience this season, going on a seven-match winning run after taking just one point from three games against Everton, Brentford and City in February, although their current four-match winless streak must have taken its toll physically and emotionally.

Haaland and De Bruyne inflicted a devastating midweek defeat on Arsenal but, after finishing eighth, eighth and fifth in the past three seasons, there is no shame in the Gunners being runners-up to a brilliant City side.

It will be fascinating to see how bookmakers assess Arsenal in next season's Premier League opening show. Have they let slip a unique opportunity to win the title or is this just the start of an exciting journey for Arteta's young team?

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