There was always something inevitable about Manchester City. They have simply earned the right over the past six years to do this, to warrant such energy and fear from the early weeks of the season.
They are the team that could be in the shadows, as scary as ever even if they’re not there.Teams look beyond the review mirror and into the far-reaching beyond just to catch site of City, to track their progress and analyse what stage of fully operational beast mode they are in.
Even when there is nothing to worry about with performances, results, or the table, City lurk, their presence and history hanging there immovable.Nobody quite expected things to work out the way they did on Sunday.
Liverpool’s loss to Crystal Palace was as surprising as anything that happened over the Premier League weekend but was only cautiously celebrated by those of an Arsenal persuasion that recognised the challenge Aston Villa would pose. The City factor – this time in true Death Star form, a 5-1 thrashing of Luton Town – had already taken over.
By 6.45pm, despite there still being six games to go in this enthralling title race, the feeling around an empty Emirates Stadium was one matched by the end-of-season collapse marred by defeats to Nottingham Forest and Brighton last term. Arsenal are still in this battle but the energy to sustain this gruelling push alongside a truly winnable if still challenging Champions League tie against Barcelona seemed to drain north London.
The atmosphere was tense rather than expectant despite what was a strong first-half display to match anything from Mikel Arteta’s side in recent weeks.
Perhaps it was the way that their chances came and went like Liverpool’s had just hours earlier. Maybe it was the pressure of going last with the weight of added opportunity.
It could have simply been one step too far for a group that have been relentlessly impressive across four months of this calendar year.Whatever it was, the game is not up yet. City’s two-point gap is far from unbridgeable even if it is entirely out of Arsenal’s hands.
The issue is that when Pep Guardiola’s side reach the summit at this stage they very rarely let it go.
