Manchester City taking on Arsenal looks set to be a defining clash in the Premier League title race with just three points now separating the two teams. Pep Guardiola's men were able to take advantage of the Gunners dropping points against Brentford by beating Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal were in action on Saturday with City playing on Sunday which meant Mikel Arteta's men could have opened up a eight-point gap to their title rivals and when Leandro Trossard turned home Bukayo Saka's cross in the 66th minute things appeared to be heading in that direction. However, Ivan Toney scored an equaliser just eight minutes later nodding into an open goal after Christian Norgaard's clever cutback.
A long VAR intervention took place following the goal focussing on the role of Ethan Pinnock in the build up, failing to recognise Christian Norgaard, who provided the assist for Toney, was offside. On Sunday the PGMOL released a statement which read: “PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday.”
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Despite this, Toney's goal stood and the Gunners dropped points in back-to-back games for the first time all season. That draw presented City with the perfect opportunity to close the gap ahead of their meeting with Arsenal next Wednesday.
However, City actually went into their fixture against Villa in third place after Manchester United beat Leeds in a fiery contest earlier in the day. Second half goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho drove Erik ten Hag's side to all three points just a few days after they were held by Leeds in a four-goal thriller at Old Trafford.
A win in the Manchester derby brought United into the title conversation but a draw against Crystal Palace and defeat to Arsenal saw that talk end abruptly. However, according to Roy Keane United may have brought themselves back into that conversation
"If you look at the table they must be in with a chance," Keane said on Sky Sports after United's victory. "Obviously Arsenal and City are ahead of them, but what they have to do is if any of them slip up they have to be ready to pounce and keep the pressure on.
"They won today, keeps the pressure on City. Considering the start to the season - disastrous start with the results against Brighton and Brentford - but where they are now I’d say they very much are in with a chance.
"Man United have to look at the table and the players and the manager and staff, look at the table and say listen, 'if City do slip up - obviously they bounced back today, and Arsenal are having a difficult week or two - we have to be ready to pounce', just in case. Obviously though City and Arsenal are ahead of them."
Of United's next five games, only one is in the Premier League with their Europa League knockout playoff round against Barcelona to be contested later in the month. United then have the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle before welcoming West Ham to Old Trafford in the FA Cup fifth round.
That hectic schedule and the quality of Arsenal and City was enough for Keane's former United team mate Gary Neville to rule out the Red Devils from being in the title picture. "No, I genuinely don’t think they are in the title race," he said. "What was interesting was I was watching the second half and I was thinking they weren’t going to get the goal,
"I thought Erik ten Hag is trying to prioritise the Barcelona game this week, because he’s put Martinez and Varane on the bench to save them for Barcelona on Thursday, and played obviously Shaw and Maguire at centre back today, so even he - if he thought he could win the Premier League, he would prioritise the Premier League, so even he’s thinking he’s obviously rotating his squad and got away with it today and it’s worked for him.
"I just don’t think they can win the Premier League, for the reasons that they’ve got so many games, and I just don’t think they’re at the level of City or Arsenal."
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