Manchester City have again managed to pile the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a 4-1 win over Southampton.
The Blues were dominant on the south coast with an Erling Haaland brace and goals from Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez securing the win. With City playing first over the weekend, they have closed the gap at the top to five points and give the Gunners no breathing room ahead of their difficult match with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
City will still have a game in hand on Arsenal following the weekend, as their rescheduled match with West Ham is not played until May 3 and with Pep Guardiola's side taking part in the FA Cup semi-finals there is also a fixture with Brighton that will have to be arranged. Should they advance in the Champions League, a gap won't be available until the last day of the season.
Also read: City player ratings vs Southampton in 4-1 win
It has the making for a dramatic run-in as the two rivals may not be level on fixtures until the season reaches its thrilling climax. There are not many games left but MEN Sport has taken a close look at City's next six league fixtures and compared them with Arsenal's.
Manchester City - 2nd (67pts)
- Leicester City (H) - April 15
- Arsenal (H) - April 26
- Fulham (A) - April 30
- West Ham (H) - May 3
- Leeds United (H) - May 7
- Everton (A) - May 14
Arsenal - 1st (72pts)
- Liverpool (A) - April 9
- West Ham United (A) - April 16
- Southampton (H) - April 21
- Manchester City (A) - April 26
- Chelsea (H) - April 29
- Newcastle United (A) - May 7
Verdict
City certainly have the easier schedule over the next six games, on paper at least, but that of course doesn't take into account they also have a two-legged tie with Bayern Munich and an FA Cup semi-final to play. It's an incredibly arduous fun of games, whereas Arsenal only need to focus on the league.
Still, City only have to face two teams in the top 10 over their next six games, one of them being against 10th-placed Fulham and of course the massive blockbuster with Mikel Arteta's outfit. The other four games come against sides embroiled in a battle for survival and while facing teams fighting for their lives can be challenging, City will be expected to beat them all.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have to face four teams in the top 10. A trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, away against City, London rivals Chelsea at home and then a very tricky journey up north to face Newcastle. Despite Liverpool and Chelsea's struggles, none of those fixtures are easy given just a single slip-up could be costly.
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