With a decisive 5-1 victory over Manchester City, Arsenal sent a strong message to the Premier League title race, reducing the margin between them and Liverpool to six points.

Mikel Arteta’s team put on a spectacular show at the Emirates, destroying Pep Guardiola’s team with speed, accuracy, and a relentless attacking display.

The game started quickly after Martin Ødegaard’s error gave Arsenal the lead after two minutes, and City struggled to respond, with David Raya making a fantastic save to deny Josko Gvardiol and Kai Havertz wasting a great chance to extend the lead.

Manchester City shown glimpses of their talent and equalized when Savinho’s tempting cross was finished by Erling Haaland’s well-placed header.

But their happiness was short-lived. Thomas Partey’s deflected goal shortly after gave Arsenal the lead again, and Myles Lewis-Skelly celebrated in front of Haaland by striking his own variation of the Norwegian’s meditation position to make it 3-1.

As Arsenal kept dissecting City, their hopes vanished. After a quick counterattack, Havertz made up for his earlier error with a powerful finish that revealed City’s defensive weaknesses.

The hosts’ five-star performance was completed by Ethan Nwaneri, who cut inside and curled a spectacular strike past Stefan Ortega.

This victory strengthened Arsenal’s reputation as legitimate title contenders. At a pivotal point in the season, Arteta’s team has now gained momentum and demonstrated their capacity to destroy top opposition.

City’s problems worsen in the meantime. Guardiola’s team might fall further down the table if Chelsea defeats West Ham, and a top-four finish is no longer certain.

Now that the reigning champions have lost back-to-back games, there are severe doubts about their capacity to bounce back in the upcoming weeks as their defensive weaknesses have been exposed.