Manchester City beat Brentford 3-0 on Saturday, with Jérémy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush on the scoresheet, and Haaland saying the club are "still in it."
The result moved City to within two points of Arsenal, with both teams left with three league games after the Brentford match — a straight numerical lifeline that turns every remaining kickoff into a knockout moment.
City’s three-goal victory followed a turbulent week in which the title picture was repeatedly redrawn. After City’s 3-3 draw with Everton earlier in the stretch, one report had Arsenal sitting five clear and suggested Arsenal could clinch the title by winning their last three while City would have to be flawless and hope Arsenal stumbled. Opta’s immediate simulations after that Everton match ran 10,000 permutations and still gave Arsenal an 85% chance of lifting the title, underscoring how much the balance has swung in a matter of days.
Those competing assessments matter because they reflect different snapshots of the same season. Football London noted City still had nine points available after beating Brentford and reported the scheduling that awaits both clubs: Arsenal travel to West Ham United on Sunday, while City return home to Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening, with that Palace fixture rescheduled from the Carabao Cup final weekend. City then face their FA Cup final against Chelsea next Saturday, a Bournemouth match six days later and an end-of-season meeting with Aston Villa; Arsenal’s remaining run includes a home match against Burnley on Monday, May 18, before they finish at Crystal Palace.
The friction in the race is mechanical as much as dramatic. City have trimmed the gap to two points, but both sides have three games left and different sequences to navigate — Arsenal’s immediate test is away to West Ham United, City’s is a midweek game at home against Crystal Palace before an FA Cup final. Those shifts in scheduling create questions about recovery, selection and focus that numbers alone don’t answer.
Oliver Glasner, speaking about Crystal Palace’s own plans and the wider effect of rotation on the title fight, pushed back against simplified criticism. "To be honest, if somebody criticises for me, sorry, if I can say this, it would be nonsense," he said. "It's just the last game but there were 37 games played before. That means if another team on matchday 25 rotated against City or Arsenal they affected the title race as well." He added a reminder of his priorities: "I'm not responsible for Arsenal, I'm not responsible for Manchester City, I'm responsible for Crystal Palace and I get paid for doing the best things for Crystal Palace and not for City and not for Arsenal." Glasner even conceded the league can feel like it is decided on the last day while warning that it is the sum of 38 matchdays: "Again, I don't know what we're doing yet. Maybe we'll be playing with the same line-up that we'll play against Vallecano but again, maybe it feels like the league title is decided on the last day but at the end, it's a result of 38 matchdays and everybody gets what they deserve."
The practical consequence is blunt: the math is small and the stakes are huge. City have closed the gap to two points and both clubs have three matches to play, so this coming week — West Ham United for Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium for City, followed by City’s FA Cup final — will reshape who has the clearest path to the trophy. For now, Haaland’s shorthand — "still in it" — is literal. The league has offered a razor; this week will test how keen the blade is.
