For the first time really this season, the title race is not completely in the control of Mikel Arteta and his players. If Manchester City - five points behind in second place - win all of their remaining 12 games, which includes a home meeting against Arsenal, they will finish first. But after dropping four crucial points in successive draws against Brentford and Wolves, they are in danger of being haunted by the ghost of past failures. Former Arsenal forward Alan Smith admitted "that word bottle will be used quite a bit in the next few days". Arsenal next face London derbies with Tottenham and Chelsea and they have worryingly started to wobble at a decisive stage in the season.

Source: GhanaWeb February 19, 2026 11:26 UTC