If there were ‘football justice’, these sides would be in the Champions League

In the same way Mikel Arteta discovered with Pep Guardiola’s second-half pressing plan in the Carabao Cup final, the Premier League always keeps you guessing. The football might not be the most expansive right now, but the play remains unpredictable. This weekend was vintage in terms of teams swinging abruptly back and forth – both in performance and results.

Liverpool’s good feeling from the 4-0 win over Galatasaray was immediately quashed, as a previously prosaic Brighton continued their own revival. Aston Villa had looked completely out of ideas while Nuno Espirito Santo continued to refine his plan, only for Unai Emery’s team to recover their verve and remind everyone of their quality. Having some of that quality back, like Youri Tielemans, admittedly helps.

Above all, Arsenal seemed to hold all the momentum in the title race, only for the Carabao Cup to allow Manchester City to cause a shift. The wider ramifications of that match are covered in more detail here , but one additional point is worth noting, given the focus of this newsletter. While City continue their habit of picking up trophies under Guardiola, the wait goes on for Arteta’s team.

You could see the frustration in Declan Rice’s reaction. The one they really want is, of course, the Premier League – and they’d gladly make any such trade, of the type discussed in Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch , if some metaphysical force meant they could now win the title. This game might even offer insight into their potential title showdown with City.