The Earliest Arsenal Can Win the Premier League Title After Man City Blink First

Manchester City’s 3–3 draw with Everton handed advantage back to Arsenal.

Bukayo Saka (left) benefitted from a Manchester City stumble. | Vince Mignott/MB Media/Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Pep Guardiola cut a downcast figure after watching his Manchester City side give up a position of real ascendancy against Everton on Monday night, but he took some encouragement from his side’s capacity to at least scramble a point after trailing 3–1 with less than 10 minutes left to play.

“At the end, we showed we would keep going, keep going,” he argued, more with himself than anyone else.

Even if Guardiola’s side win all their remaining fixtures, Arsenal still have it within their power to lift a first league title in 22 years after City’s stumble against Everton. At this point, the perennial champions need to keep going just to stop an early coronation.

---

Current Premier League Table

Position	Team	Games	Goal Difference	Points
1.	Arsenal	35	+41	76
2.	Man City	34	+37	71

---

The Earliest Date Arsenal Can Win the 2025–26 Premier League Title

Lethal. pic.twitter.com/GV3jBdj5Cb

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) May 2, 2026

There is a scenario where Arsenal only need to win one more game before they are crowned champions.

Should City lose to Brentford on Saturday—an unlikely, if not inconceivable, outcome—and the Gunners get the job done against West Ham United (a far more uncertain eventuality given the relegation battlers’ lofty levels of motivation) Arsenal would be mathematically confirmed top-flight winners if City fail to defeat Crystal Palace on Wednesday, May 13.

This sequence of results hinges upon Arsenal defeating West Ham at the London Stadium. The Hammers were unfortunate to lose so heavily to Brentford at the weekend and have been in excellent form for the best part of four months. Over the past 14 league games, West Ham boast the sixth-best record in the Premier League.

As Arsenal legend Thierry Henry fretted on Sky Sports, “Nothing is done.”

“I am going to stay in my lane, I am not going to celebrate too early,” he warned. “I am worried for the West Ham game.”

---

Arsenal’s Earliest Coronation

Date	Fixture	Necessary Outcome
Saturday, May 9	Man City vs. Brentford	Man City loss
Sunday, May 10	West Ham vs. Arsenal	Arsenal win
Wednesday, May 13	Man City vs. Crystal Palace	Man City don’t win

---

Likeliest Date Arsenal Can Win the 2025–26 Premier League Title

Viktor Gyökeres has surpassed 20 goals this season. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

In all likelihood, the title will come down to the final day, Sunday, May 24. While City’s vulnerability was unearthed by this particularly physical iteration of Everton, it would be a major surprise to see Guardiola’s side drop too many more points.

Both Arsenal and City could find themselves up against distracted opponents on that decisive Sunday. The Gunners travel to south London for a clash with Crystal Palace, who may very well be preparing for a Conference League final three days later. The Eagles boast a commanding 3–1 lead from a semifinal first-leg victory over Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of this week’s home tie.

Aston Villa have work to do if they are to advance to the Europa League final as they trail Nottingham Forest by one goal from the semifinal first leg. Should Unai Emery pull off another triumph in his favorite competition, Villa would travel to Manchester City four days on from an appearance in the Europa League final. If their disastrous display against Tottenham Hotspur is anything to go by, Villa may struggle against a highly motivated City side in the aftermath of that European hangover.

---

Arsenal, Man City’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures

Arsenal	Man City
West Ham (A)—Sunday, May 10	Brentford (H)—Saturday, May 9
—	Crystal Palace (H)—Wednesday, May 13
Burnley (H)—Monday, May 18	Bournemouth (A)—Tuesday, May 19
Crystal Palace (A)—Sunday, May 24	Aston Villa (H)—Sunday, May 24

---