Arsenal Moves Away from Manchester City's Pursuit

BRIGHTON, THURSDAY — Arsenal does not care. As they enter the crucial final weeks of the Premier League, only three points matter. Allegations of poor and boring play will fade away once the trophy is within reach.

Arsenal distanced themselves from the pursuit of Manchester City after securing a narrow 1-0 victory against hosts Brighton and Hove Albion, Thursday (5/2/2026) early morning WIB. The London club was able to extend their lead in the title race to seven points, taking advantage of Manchester City's slip-up, who were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Nottingham Forest.

Mikel Arteta's squad has taken control of the title race. If before the last match the fate of the championship was not in their own hands, this time it has returned to their grasp. Previously, City could become champions if they managed to win all remaining matches, including one against Arsenal. Now, that is no longer the case.

If City wins all nine remaining matches, including against Arsenal on April 19, City can achieve a maximum of 87 points. Meanwhile, even if the London Cannons lose to City but win their other seven remaining matches, they will still be champions with 88 points.

This important victory for Arsenal was determined by a solitary goal from winger Bukayo Saka in the 9th minute. After that, Arsenal fought desperately to avoid conceding, which led to accusations from Brighton's coach, Fabian Hurzeler, that they had no intention of playing football.

In contrast to the beautiful style of play when Arsenal became champions 22 years ago without losing a match in a season, the game of Declan Rice and his teammates relies more on set pieces and a solid defense.

Criticism of the "black" tactics has continued to spread, including the recent remarks by Hurzeler, who accused Arsenal players of wasting time by pretending to be injured after taking the lead. Hurzeler was very upset because Arsenal players often delayed the start of play during free kicks, for example.

Goalkeeper David Raya also fell to the ground three times and required medical attention, which led to accusations that he was merely pretending in order to give Arteta the opportunity to provide tactical instructions to the other players. "I think there was only one team that wanted to play football today. Have you ever seen a Premier League match where the goalkeeper falls so often? No!" said Hurzeler.

According to Hurzeler, Arteta justifies any means to win the match. "They create their own rules. At this point, I have a feeling they have their own regulations. I will not be a manager who tries to win matches in such a manner," emphasized Hurzeler.

When asked if he thought about the feelings of other coaches, Arteta simply replied, "No comment."

In other words, Arteta does not care about the feelings of other managers. Moreover, according to this Spanish coach, his players truly deserve to win the match because they have fought hard.

Arteta emphasized that the Arsenal players deserve praise for successfully winning a very crucial match again. "How surprising. If you look back at previous matches, you will find many such comments, always," said Arteta when informed about Hurzeler's remarks.

"I love the players. That is what matters. I love the players and how we fight. When you are in a position like ours, of course, the opponent wants to take something from you. That is normal, that is sports," said Arteta.

Arsenal has been able to accumulate many points even though they do not play with an attractive style of football. However, Arteta does not mind as long as they can still compete for the quadruple this season.

Arsenal still has the opportunity to claim titles in all competitions. In addition to the Premier League, they can still secure the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the Champions League.

The city must lament their fate as they could only manage a draw when hosting the bottom team, Forest. Pep Guardiola's squad dominated the match and should have celebrated their fifth consecutive victory in the league, but instead, they squandered their lead twice.

Forward Antoine Semenyo put City ahead in the 21st minute, but Morgan Gibbs-White equalized in the 56th minute. Just six minutes later, Rodri's goal restored the home team's lead. However, City relinquished their victory after Elliot Anderson leveled the score.

Despite losing two points, Guardiola remains optimistic in the title race. "There are still many matches to be played, they have one match less. Now it's Newcastle (in the FA Cup) and I always think about the next match," said Guardiola.

"If we analyze it in general, it is a good performance. Of course, we can still be better, but overall it is good," Guardiola added.

Meanwhile, Michael Carrick experienced his first defeat as the interim manager of Manchester United. Facing the home team Newcastle United, who had to play with 10 players during the second half due to Jacob Ramsey's red card, MU ended up losing 1-2. (AFP/REUTERS)