Manchester City have work to do.
Arsenal moved six points ahead and opened up a clear goal-difference advantage over their Premier League title rivals with Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fulham.
The Gunners scored all of their goals in the first half via two short-range Viktor Gyokeres finishes and Bukayo Saka’s precise near-post effort.
How it stands
| # | Team | Played | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 35 | +41 | 76 |
| 2 | Man City | 33 | +37 | 70 |
City travel to Everton on Monday for their 34th match of the season. Pep Guardiola’s and Mikel Arteta’s teams will be level on 36 games played after City host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on May 13.
Remaining matches
Arsenal
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| May 10 | West Ham (a) |
| May 18 | Burnley (h) |
| May 24 | Crystal Palace (a) |
Manchester City
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| May 4 | Everton (a) |
| May 9 | Brentford (h) |
| May 13 | Crystal Palace (h) |
| May 19 | Bournemouth (a) |
| May 24 | Aston Villa (h) |
Arsenal and Manchester City are pursuing other silverware outside of their Premier League endeavors.
The north London side faces Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal Tuesday, with the score 1-1 after the opening leg. The Champions League final is set for May 30.
Manchester City battle Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 16.
Burnley are the only opponents with nothing to play for in either team’s remaining fixtures. The relegated outfit is at Arsenal on May 18. Crystal Palace could have a huge say in the title race’s outcome, as they face both Arsenal and Manchester City. However, they’re prioritizing the Conference League and lead Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 on aggregate after the first leg of their semifinal.
Aston Villa could be in the Europa League final four days before their trip to Manchester City on the last day of the Premier League season. To reach that showpiece match, they need to overcome a 1-0 deficit against Nottingham Forest in the semifinals. The second leg of that all-Midlands affair is on Thursday.
Everton, Brentford, and Bournemouth still have plenty on the line while trying to secure European qualification. Arsenal’s next match is against West Ham United, who are fighting for Premier League survival.
Manchester City have taken four points from Arsenal in this Premier League season and beat them in the League Cup final in March. Nevertheless, Arteta’s team is undoubtedly in the driving seat for the Premier League crown, as Guardiola’s men must navigate the physical and mental challenges of chasing down the leaders once again.
“I think we always go into games believing we’re going to play well and create a lot of chances,” Gyokeres told Sky Sports after Arsenal’s comfortable win over Fulham, according to BBC Sport.
He added: “We never stopped believing. We’re not going to. That’s how it is, and we keep going. We just need to focus on the next game.”