How the Title Is Decided if Arsenal and Man City Finish Level on Points and Goals
- Arsenal and Manchester City are locked in a tight Premier League title race, with only points and goal difference currently separating them
- If both teams finish level on all major metrics, the title could be decided by goals scored or head-to-head results, where City hold the edge
- Premier League history shows how fine margins can be, including City’s 2011–12 triumph and several one-point wins under Pep Guardiola
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The Premier League title race is intensifying as the 2025–26 season enters its final stretch, with both Arsenal and Manchester City firmly in contention for the crown.
But what happens if the two sides end the campaign completely level and no major metrics separate them?
Source: Getty Images
It is a scenario that has never previously occurred in Premier League history.
As things stand, Mikel Arteta's side lead the table with 70 points and a +37 goal difference.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are just three points behind with a game in hand and only one goal separating the two sides in the standings.
Arsenal vs Man City - Historic title decider
If the teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker would be goal difference.
Given how close the race is, it is not impossible that they could also finish level in that department.
Should that happen, the next deciding factor would be the number of goals scored: at present, City have scored 65 goals compared to Arsenal’s 63.
Matters become even more technical if both teams remain level on points, goal difference, and goals scored.
If everything remained identical even after that, officials would turn to head-to-head records between the two teams.
Source: Getty Images
The sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season, but Erling Haaland later struck in a 2-1 win for City at the Etihad Stadium, the BBC reported.
That result would give Pep Guardiola’s side the advantage in the unlikely event of a full statistical tie.
However, such fine margins are not unfamiliar in Premier League history.
The Citizens have previously been involved in tight title battles, edging Liverpool by a single point in both the 2018–19 and 2021–22 seasons.
Only a handful of campaigns have ever been decided by such slim differences, including Arsenal’s 1997–98 triumph.
Perhaps the most dramatic example came in 2011–12, when Manchester City and Manchester United finished level on 89 points, as noted by ESPN.
City claimed their first-ever Premier League title thanks to superior goal difference, sealed by Sergio Agüero’s stoppage-time winner on the final day under Roberto Mancini.
How Man City defeated Arsenal
Manchester City moved ominously closer to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table after a victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Haaland’s second-half goal proved decisive in a tense contest, leaving City just three points behind the league leaders with a game in hand.
In an open encounter filled with chances, Rayan Cherki, who had earlier struck the post, displayed superb footwork in a crowded penalty area to give City the lead.
Arsenal responded almost immediately, equalising just 107 seconds later when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma hesitated and sliced a clearance that rebounded off Kai Havertz into the net.
After the break, both sides continued to threaten: Haaland hit the post for City, while Eberechi Eze did the same at the other end.
Donnarumma then produced an important save to deny Havertz before Haaland reacted quickest from close range to restore City’s lead in typical fashion.
Arsenal pushed for another equaliser, with Gabriel Magalhães seeing a header deflected onto the post, while Havertz also missed a clear opportunity.
In the end, City held firm to secure the win and continue closing in on the Gunners in the title race.
Why Gabriel avoided red vs Man City
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Premier League had issued a statement after a controversial incident involving Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães.
He avoided a straight red card for an apparent headbutt on Man City striker, Haaland, with the flashpoint coming in the closing stages of the match on April 19.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
