We look at how Guardiola’s side dropped two points at Spurs, Villa’s shock defeat and what it means for the title race
Football writer Alex Keble analyses Manchester City’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa’s 1-0 home defeat to Brentford and what it means for the Premier League title race.
Dominic Solanke’s outrageous scorpion kick, earning Tottenham Hotspur a point and denting Manchester City’s title hopes, was entirely at odds with the rest of a bruising, physical Premier League match played through ceaseless drizzle in north London.
This was English football at its most full-blooded, most thrilling, and most unpredictable: a 2-2 draw that nobody saw coming after Man City had sailed into a 2-0 first-half lead.
Booed off at half-time, given a standing ovation at the final whistle, Thomas Frank’s Spurs were unrecognisable after the interval and deserved to share the points for their sheer force of will – and for a half-time switch from 3-4-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1 that energised the hosts.
It was a result as damaging for Pep Guardiola as it was reparative for Frank, on a weekend in which the Premier League title race took yet another turn.
Man City lose ground in title race on excellent weekend for Arsenal
Going into the weekend there were plenty who thought Arsenal, travelling to a bullish Leeds United at Elland Road, would be the title challenger who suffered the most, but Mikel Arteta’s side have emerged two points further clear of City.
Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to 10-man Brentford earlier in the day appeared to prove Unai Emery right – that Villa’s title challenge was never really on – while Man City’s two dropped points ensured Arsenal now have a six-point lead again.
After a difficult couple of games against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, it was exactly what Arsenal needed; a confident win themselves and the re-establishment of a buffer, calming those rising nerves and steadying those knees before they begin to wobble.
For all the angst rising among certain sections of the fan base, Arsenal are still clear favourites at this juncture. That is testament to their resolve – but also to the inconsistencies of those behind them.
Man City’s second-half issues continue to undermine their season
For a while now, pundits have been arguing that Arsenal’s biggest enemy is Arsenal; that winning the title is an internal battle more than anything else.
That theory was certainly validated by the way Man City collapsed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where another tepid second-half display saw Guardiola’s side drop unexpected points.
On this evidence they do not have the ruthlessness, or maybe the energy, to sustain a challenge, should Arsenal maintain their form.
Man City have conceded six goals in the first halves of Premier League matches and 17 – almost three times as many – in the second half of matches, while their “Expected Goal” difference also drops off a cliff after the break.
Man City’s first and second halves compared 2025/26
Statistics
First halves
Second halves
Goals
27
22
Expected Goals
23.4
20.1
Goals conceded
6
17
Expected Goals Against
7.3
19.7
Expected Goals difference
16.1
0.4
City have also “lost” nine second halves this season, as many as Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Teams with the most second-half ‘defeats’ 2025/26
Club
Total
West Ham
14
Wolves
13
Leeds
11
Nottingham Forest
10
Bournemouth
9
Fulham
9
Burnley
9
Crystal Palace
9
Man City
9
That is a remarkable set of numbers. According to Guardiola, it’s all about struggling to control the game when momentum shifts – today, at least it.
“It happens in the Premier League today, sometimes you can’t control it,” he said, commenting on the tactical changes and the “long balls” that helped Spurs get back into the game.
“The momentum is difficult to control whatever happens here in England.”
Be it the nature of the modern Premier League, tiredness (in a campaign that started so soon after the FIFA Club World Cup), or something else entirely, Man City need to find a solution to this problem if they are to close the gap to Arsenal.
Villa’s defeat shows that injuries are taking their toll
Earlier in the day, Aston Villa just couldn’t break down Keith Andrews’ Brentford, losing 1-0 despite a first-half red card for Kevin Schade.
It was a demoralising defeat for the hosts, who have now lost back-to-back games at Villa Park, and one that highlighted the toll of injuries to John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, and Youri Tielemans, three players whose line-splitting passes were sorely missed against a stubborn low block.
Douglas Luiz and Tammy Abraham were both impressive for Villa, the latter seeing a goal ruled out and the former bossing central midfield, but Emery’s side lacked that spark in the final third.
In fact, they might even be starting to look over their shoulder after Man Utd’s 3-2 victory against Fulham moved Michael Carrick’s side into the top four.
What is most painful for Villa, aside from falling seven points behind Arsenal, is that Brentford beat Villa 1-0 in exactly the same way back in August. Sitting very deep is, it would seem, the tactical approach that Villa’s upcoming opponents should take.
They are likely to fare better, then, at Bournemouth next weekend, where a more open end-to-end contest could get Villa back on track.
But closing the gap to Arsenal might be beyond them.
Next week’s fixtures could see Arsenal pull away
Arsenal host Sunderland, who sit 17th in the table for away form, a day before Man City face a stern test against Liverpool at Anfield.
It means Arsenal have the chance to end Saturday nine points clear, which would be the first time they have had such a gap overnight since 2003/04: the Invincibles season.
That would be an enormous psychological advantage to hold in the build-up to Man City’s tough trip to Liverpool, where a similarly passive second half to the one in north London on Sunday would probably be punished by Arne Slot’s re-energised side.
Just like that, after all the nerves and all the conversation this week, Arsenal are firmly back in control.