It's not in our hands. Before it was, now it's not.
On a Monday evening at Goodison Park, Manchester City surrendered something harder to recover than a lead — they surrendered control. A thirteen-minute defensive unraveling against Everton, in a season already marked by fragility from set pieces and dropped points from winning positions, has handed Arsenal the clearest path to a first Premier League title in over two decades. With three matches remaining, the mathematics now belong to the Gunners, and City are left hoping for a stumble they cannot engineer.
- City led, then collapsed — three goals conceded in thirteen frantic second-half minutes turned a controlled performance into a crisis, exposing defensive vulnerabilities that have quietly accumulated all season.
- Haaland and Doku clawed back a 3-3 draw, but the rescue felt hollow — snatching a point from defeat is not the same as winning, and the title race felt the difference immediately.
- Arsenal now need only three wins from three winnable fixtures to claim their first Premier League crown since 2004, holding both the points advantage and the better goal difference.
- Guardiola admitted the shift plainly — 'It's not in our hands' — and City's pattern of conceding eight corner goals this season and dropping points from winning positions suggests this vulnerability is structural, not accidental.
- The Gunners hold the map now; City must hope Arsenal stumble across a finish line that, for the first time in months, feels genuinely within Arsenal's reach.
Manchester City arrived at Goodison Park with the Premier League title still within reach. They left it scattered across thirteen second-half minutes that may define their season.
The match had the texture of a classic — six goals, momentum swinging wildly, neither side able to hold what they built. Doku opened the scoring with a crisp finish, and City looked composed. Then the defense came apart. Thierno Barry scored twice, aided by a glaring error, and Jake O'Brien added a header. Three goals in thirteen minutes. A team that had been leading was suddenly losing.
Haaland responded almost immediately, and Doku — the same player who had started it all — delivered a stunning late equalizer to make it 3-3. City had rescued a point. It felt like relief. It also felt, depending on your perspective, like the moment the title quietly left their hands.
Arsenal, sitting top of the table, now know exactly what they need: three wins from their final three matches — West Ham, Burnley, and Crystal Palace — to secure the club's first Premier League title since 2004. City's maximum points this season is 83. Arsenal currently sit on 76, with a four-goal advantage in goal difference. Guardiola was direct: 'It's not in our hands. Before it was, now it's not.'
The collapse illuminated something that has troubled City all campaign — a recklessness defending set pieces. Eight goals conceded from corners this season matches their total from the previous two seasons combined. For a Guardiola side built on control, it is not a quirk but a pattern, one compounded by dropping more points from winning positions since January than almost any other side.
Arsenal's remaining fixtures are manageable on paper, though football rarely respects paper. Thierry Henry urged caution; Wayne Rooney predicted three wins and a trophy, citing City's inconsistency against Arsenal's steadiness. City still have home games to play and a path that technically exists. But paths are easier to walk when you're not chasing. For now, the destiny of the title belongs to Arsenal — and City must simply hope the Gunners find a way to give it back.
Manchester City arrived at Goodison Park on Monday evening with the Premier League title still within their grasp. They left it somewhere on the turf, scattered across thirteen minutes of second-half football that will haunt them if Arsenal finishes the job.
The match itself was a six-goal carnival—the kind of game that reminds you why people wake up early to watch football. City started well. Jeremy Doku, the Belgian winger, opened the scoring with a crisp finish that suggested the visitors would control the afternoon. But control is a fragile thing. Somewhere in the second half, City's defense simply came apart. Thierno Barry scored twice—one of them gifted by a Marc Guehi error so obvious it seemed almost deliberate—and Jake O'Brien added a header. Three goals in thirteen minutes. City, who had led the match, were suddenly losing it.
Erling Haaland pulled one back almost immediately, a reminder that City's firepower could still hurt. But the damage was done to something more important than the scoreline. Doku, the same player who had opened the scoring, delivered a stunning late equalizer to make it 3-3. City had snatched a point from the jaws of complete defeat. It felt like rescue. It felt like relief. It was also, depending on your perspective, the moment the title slipped away.
Because Arsenal, sitting at the top of the table, now knew exactly what they needed to do. Three wins from their final three matches—against West Ham, Burnley, and Crystal Palace—would deliver the club's first Premier League title since 2004. The mathematics were simple. City's maximum possible points this season is 83. Arsenal currently have 76. The Gunners also hold a four-point advantage in goal difference, a small but real edge. Pep Guardiola, when asked about the draw, was blunt about what had shifted. "It's not in our hands," he said. "Before it was, now it's not."
The collapse at Everton exposed something that has quietly troubled City all season: a vulnerability to set-piece defending that has become almost reckless. They have now conceded eight goals from corners in the league this campaign—as many as they gave up in the entire previous two seasons combined. For a team managed by Guardiola, a coach obsessed with control and precision, this is not just a statistical quirk. It is a structural problem. City have also dropped more points from winning positions since the new year than any team except Tottenham and Newcastle. The pattern is there if you want to see it.
Arsenal's remaining fixtures are, on paper, manageable. West Ham are fighting relegation. Burnley are already down. Crystal Palace, the final opponent, will be the only real test. But football has a way of complicating the obvious. Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal striker, offered a note of caution on Sky Sports: "I wouldn't be thinking we can afford to drop points now if I was Arsenal." Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, predicted the Gunners would win all three and lift the trophy, citing their consistency against City's occasional brittleness. "Arsenal are very consistent while City can be a little bit up and down," he said.
Guardiola will point to City's first-half performance—genuinely commanding—and to the fact that his team rescued a draw from a position where they could have lost. He will also note that City still have three home games remaining, against Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa on the final day, plus an away trip to Bournemouth just three days after the FA Cup final. There is still a path. But paths are easier to see when you're not chasing. Arsenal now holds the map. City must hope the Gunners stumble, or that their own finishing strength in the run-in proves decisive. For now, though, the destiny of the trophy belongs to someone else.
Notable Quotes
It's not in our hands. Before it was, now it's not. We have games left. We will see what happens.— Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager
I think it's Arsenal's year. The work Arteta has put in over the last five years, and then against his former boss Guardiola—if he goes and wins that title, that is huge for him.— Wayne Rooney, BBC Sport pundit
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a single draw feel like such a turning point? City got a point they might have lost entirely.
Because it's not about the point itself—it's about what the point represents. City led 1-0 and controlled the game. They should have won. Instead, they conceded three in thirteen minutes and had to scramble back. That's not resilience; that's fragility exposed.
But Arsenal still has to win three games. That's not guaranteed.
True. But Arsenal gets to play West Ham, Burnley, and Palace. City has to play Brentford, Bournemouth, and Palace, plus the FA Cup final in between. Arsenal's path is clearer. And more importantly, Arsenal now knows exactly what they need to do. City has to hope Arsenal fails.
Guardiola said the title is no longer in their hands. Does he really believe that, or is that just managing expectations?
He believes it. When a manager of his caliber says something that direct, he's not spinning. He's acknowledging reality. City had control of their own destiny before Monday. They don't anymore.
What about the corner problem? Eight goals conceded from set pieces in one season?
That's the real worry. For a Guardiola team, that's almost embarrassing. It suggests a structural issue, not just bad luck. And in a tight title race, those eight goals could be the difference between winning and losing.
Could Doku's late goal actually win City the title?
It's possible. Jamie Carragher mentioned Liverpool and City in 2014—City drew a game they could have lost, and that single point ended up being the one that won them the league. Doku's goal might be remembered the same way. Or it might be a footnote to Arsenal's coronation.
What does Arsenal need to do now?
Win their games and don't think too hard about it. Henry was right to warn against complacency. But they have the easier fixtures and they know what's required. That's an advantage City no longer has.