“It is not done.” Those were the words of Declan Rice to his Arsenal team-mates at the end of their 2-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday.
Rice’s sentiment was shared by his manager, Mikel Arteta, who insisted a new title race starts now, and by the travelling Arsenal supporters. Rather than bemoan a loss that handed control of the race to City, those fans stood behind their beaten team.
What, then, are the causes for optimism for Arsenal? Here, Telegraph Sport provides seven reasons why Arteta’s side can still win their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Fixture list
Arsenal have the easier run-in and their remaining five matches are all in London. Three of those five games are at home, and all five are against teams currently in the bottom half of the league table.
Next up are Newcastle, who have lost four games in a row and appear to be spiralling. Then it’s Fulham, who have won one of their last six matches. An away trip to the London Stadium could be treacherous in the context of West Ham United’s battle against relegation, but a home game against Burnley on May 17 should be straightforward.
Arsenal’s final match of the campaign is away to Crystal Palace. In usual circumstances, Selhurst Park is a difficult place to go but there is a good chance that Palace will be in the Conference League final three days later. There is no doubt that Oliver Glasner would prioritise a European final over their 38th league game of the campaign.
Of City’s remaining six fixtures, four are against teams currently in the top half of the table. Trips to Everton and Bournemouth look tricky, as does a home match against a Brentford team chasing European qualification. City also face Burnley away and Palace at home before meeting Aston Villa on the final day.
Key players returning
Arsenal went to the Etihad without their two first-choice full-backs and their most dangerous attacking player. Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka are all thought to be close to returning from injury, and those three players will restore some of the creativity and fluidity in possession that Arsenal have been lacking.
Saka, especially, will come back into the team with an enormous sense of determination. As one of the leaders of this Arsenal side, he must have been furious to miss the last five matches. He is unquestionably a significant upgrade on Noni Madueke, who has started the last four games but is struggling to affect matches.
Havertz finding his flow
Kai Havertz may not be a deadly finisher, as he showed against City on Sunday, but there is no doubt that his presence up front make Arsenal better as an attacking unit. At the Etihad his all-round play was excellent: he held up the ball, brought his team-mates into play and pressed with purpose.
This, clearly, is the strategy that Arsenal must stick with in the remaining weeks of the campaign now that Havertz is fully fit. Viktor Gyokeres has worked hard all season and is the club’s top scorer but he does not boast the same tactical intelligence or technical ability. The Swede can be an effective substitute against tiring opponents, but the keys to the attack must now be handed to Havertz.
Rodri injury
It is possible that the defining moment of Sunday’s match was not the winning goal scored by Erling Haaland, but the injury that forced Rodri out of the game in the final moments. There can be no overstating the importance to City of the Spaniard, who was again exceptional in the victory over Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola said Rodri had picked up a groin problem and that the midfielder required tests. His absence, if indeed he is forced to miss any games, would be a major blow to City’s title ambitions. His backup, Nico González, is not at the same standard.
City fans might point out that Guardiola’s side actually have a better record this season without Rodri than with him, but such an analysis fails to take into account the quality he has displayed in recent weeks. Earlier in the season, Rodri was out of form. Right now, however, he is dominating the midfield with all of the class and power we have come to expect. That is why he has started 10 of the last 11 matches in all competitions.
Eze and Odegaard unleashed
Sunday’s match was only the fourth time this season that Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have started alongside each other for Arsenal. Their lack of shared minutes is partly a reflection of their respective fitness issues, with Odegaard in particular enduring a disrupted campaign, but also because Arteta has been reluctant to play Eze on the left wing.
Indeed, the City match was Eze’s first appearance on the left flank since December’s defeat by Aston Villa. He played well, though, and alongside Odegaard offered a level of technical security that Arsenal have too often been missing in recent weeks.
Odegaard and Eze are Arsenal’s most creative players. These are the playmakers who are most likely to unpick an opposition defence and drive the team forward. The more they are on the pitch, the more expansive Arsenal can be. This could be hugely important if the title comes down to goal difference.
Arsenal fans will hope that Eze now has a run of games on the left wing, especially because this position has been an area of weakness for the team in recent months. Neither Leandro Trossard nor Gabriel Martinelli are in good form in the Premier League (neither has scored in the competition in 2026). Eze can make that role his own.
Hunters, not hunted
Assuming City beat Burnley on Wednesday, Arsenal will undergo a psychological shift before Saturday’s meeting with Newcastle United. For so much of this season, they have been the hunted league leaders. By the weekend, they could be the hunters.
What effect will this have on the team’s mindset, and indeed the anxiety of the Emirates crowd? It could be liberating.
It was clear in the 2024 title race that these Arsenal players and supporters were better suited to being chasers than being chased. After handing the initiative to City by losing at home to Aston Villa, Arsenal went on to win their remaining six games of that campaign. They did so in style, too: scoring 16 goals in those matches.
The super-computer trusts the process
Is it any consolation for Arsenal supporters that the Opta super-computer still rates them as favourites? The super-computer bases its results on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season — and it rates Arsenal’s chances of winning the title at 73 per cent, despite the loss at City. The data, evidently, is on their side.