The key moments that decided the Premier League title race
Trips to St James' Park have not been kind to Arteta's side in recent years, with three losses and no goals scored in their previous three visits. So when Nick Woltemade put Newcastle ahead in the first half of an ill-tempered game, in which Arsenal also had a penalty overturned by VAR, the away fans may have feared the worst. However, Mikel Merino headed Arsenal level in the 84th minute and when Gabriel nodded in from a 96th-minute corner, Gunners fans, players and staff went wild.
After Liverpool 's slip up at Crystal Palace the previous day, suddenly Arsenal were only two points off the top. Two months on and after a run of 10 straight wins in all competitions, including eight in a row without conceding, Arsenal were top of the table and flying high. A 2-2 draw at Sunderland ended that run but the Gunners came into November's north London derby with the chance to go six points clear after City fell to a 2-1 defeat by Newcastle on Tyneside.
Any thoughts Tottenham had of landing a blow to dent their rivals' title hopes soon faded as Arsenal went into the break 2-0 up and made it three seconds into the second half. Richarlison got one back for Spurs but the Gunners had the final word, with the crowning moment fittingly belonging to Eze, who so nearly joined Thomas Frank's side in the summer before signing for Arsenal . The England midfielder sealed the win as he completed his first senior hat-trick to give Arsenal their biggest advantage after 12 games of any Premier League campaign.
As Patrick Dorgu wheeled away having nipped in front of Rico Lewis to put the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Manchester derby was over. United were two goals up at Old Trafford and City were headed for a new low as a dismal start to the new year continued. Having clawed their way back into contention over the Christmas period, Guardiola's side failed to win any of their first four league games in 2026.
A stalemate at Sunderland was followed by dropped points at home to Chelsea and Brighton , allowing Arsenal - despite a couple of slip-ups of their own - to take a seven-point lead at the top of the table. By April, the gap was still at six points but a game in hand for City meant, as Arsenal arrived for a top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad, both sides could claim the title was in their hands. It was City who emerged from a thrilling game victorious with Erling Haaland scoring the winner 20 minutes into the second half.