Manchester City had the chance to pile on the pressure. Instead, they piled on their own frustration.

Pep Guardiola’s side faced a Chelsea team still reeling from another managerial shake-up, a club wobbling between rebuilding and repeating the same old mistakes.

On paper, this was meant to be routine. Control the game, take the points, and move on. Instead, City were held to a 1–1 draw, and one that felt far more damaging than the scoreline suggests.

City dominated possession, as expected. They moved the ball, probed, and threatened in flashes. But when the moment came to turn control into separation, they hesitated. The cutting edge was blunt. The urgency, oddly missing.

In a season where margins matter, this was another reminder that City’s aura of inevitability has cracked. Draws are not disasters in isolation, but in a title race, they stack up like unpaid bills. And Arsenal are watching every one of them.

Elsewhere in yesterday’s Premier League action, Brentford produced one of the performances of the day, beating Everton 4–2 in an open, chaotic contest that underlined Everton’s ongoing defensive issues.

Manchester United were again held to a draw, reigniting familiar questions about consistency and direction.

Tottenham continued their tradition of unpredictability, dropping points in a match they were expected to control.

Liverpool’s hope for three points were shattered with a late 40-yard screamer from Harrison Reed, drawing 2-2 vs Fulham.

But the biggest winners of the match week were Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side remain six points clear at the top, calm and increasingly convincing. It looks like a team daring the league to catch them.

Now comes the real test. Liverpool at the Emirates.

It is a fixture that defines seasons and rewrites narratives. Victory would stretch Arsenal’s lead to nine points and send a clear message that this title race may already be slipping away from everyone else.