# Arsenal's Title Lead Shrinks to Nine as Wolves Expose the Same Old Cracks
Mikel Arteta watched his side throw away two points at Molineux, and suddenly that 70-point cushion doesn't look quite as comfortable. Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Wolves means Manchester City—sitting on 61 points with a game in hand—can cut the gap to six if they win their makeup fixture. The Gunners led twice through Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, but Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia pegged them back both times.
Here's the thing: Arsenal have now dropped points in seven matches this season. That's not a crisis, but it's a pattern. They dominate possession, create chances, then switch off for five minutes and concede soft goals. Wolves didn't outplay them. They just waited for the inevitable lapse.
Saka's opener in the 23rd minute was vintage Arsenal—quick passing, overlapping runs, clinical finish. Cunha equalized eight minutes later when William Saliba got caught ball-watching. Martinelli restored the lead just before halftime, and you'd think Arsenal would shut up shop in the second half. Instead, Sarabia ghosted in unmarked at the back post in the 68th minute to make it 2-2. David Raya didn't cover himself in glory on either Wolves goal.
City have 18 wins from 30 matches. Arsenal have 21 from 31. The math still favors the Gunners, but Pep Guardiola's squad has been here before. They know how to apply pressure down the stretch.
## Everton Embarrass Chelsea While Forest Humiliate Spurs
Everton put three past Chelsea at Goodison Park without reply, and suddenly Sean Dyche's side are level on points with Brentford in seventh. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice—his first brace since January 2024—and Abdoulaye Doucouré added a third in the 71st minute. Chelsea managed four shots on target. None troubled Jordan Pickford.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have now won just 13 of 31 matches. They're sixth, sure, but they're closer to 10th-place Brighton (five points back) than they are to third-place Manchester United (seven points ahead). Cole Palmer looked isolated up front, and Enzo Fernández was anonymous in midfield. Chelsea's £1 billion squad got outworked by a team that spent £30 million last summer.
But if you want to talk about embarrassment, let's discuss Tottenham. Nottingham Forest came to North London and won 3-0. Three-nil. At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Chris Wood scored twice, and Morgan Gibbs-White added a third in stoppage time. Spurs managed 18 shots and hit the woodwork twice, but Forest keeper Matt Turner made seven saves and looked like prime Gianluigi Buffon.
Ange Postecoglou's high-line experiment has produced some thrilling football this season, but it's also left them vulnerable to counter-attacks. Forest sat deep, absorbed pressure, then broke with pace. Wood's first goal came from a long ball over the top that caught Cristian Romero too far upfield. His second was a tap-in after Turner saved Son Heung-min's shot and Forest broke 4-on-2.
Real talk: Tottenham aren't making top four. They're 11 points behind Villa in fourth with seven matches left. The Europa League is their ceiling now.
## Brighton End Liverpool's Top-Four Hopes
Liverpool's season is officially over. Brighton's 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium leaves Jürgen Klopp's side in fifth on 49 points, five behind Villa and six behind United. With seven games remaining, the gap is too large. Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson scored for Brighton, while Luis Díaz grabbed a consolation for Liverpool in the 82nd minute.
Klopp's final season at Anfield will end without Champions League football. The Reds have won just 14 of 31 league matches—their worst return since 2015-16. They've lost 10 times. Ten. That's more defeats than they had in the entire 2019-20 title-winning campaign (three losses in 38 matches).
The midfield rebuild hasn't worked. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were supposed to replace the aging legs of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. Instead, Liverpool look disjointed in possession and porous in transition. Brighton's second goal came from a simple through ball that split Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Two years ago, that doesn't happen.
## Villa Keep Pace While United Drop More Points
Aston Villa's 2-0 win over West Ham keeps them in fourth on 54 points, one ahead of Liverpool and one behind United. Ollie Watkins scored his 19th league goal of the season, and John McGinn added a second in the 67th minute. Unai Emery's side have won 16 of 31 matches and lost just nine times. They're legitimate top-four contenders.
Manchester United, meanwhile, drew 2-2 at Bournemouth and have now picked up just 10 points from their last six matches. Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes scored for United, but Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo equalized for the Cherries. Erik ten Hag's side are third on 55 points, but Villa are breathing down their necks.
United have drawn 10 matches this season. That's 20 points left on the table. If they'd won even half of those draws, they'd be challenging Arsenal for the title. Instead, they're looking over their shoulders at Villa.
## The Title Race Isn't Over Yet
Arsenal have a nine-point lead with seven matches remaining. They should win the league. But City have been in this position before—chasing down leaders in the final weeks. In 2018-19, they trailed Liverpool by seven points on January 3rd and won the title by one point. In 2021-22, they were six points behind Liverpool in mid-January and won by one point again.
The difference this time? Arsenal have 70 points from 31 matches. That's a 2.26 points-per-game average. If they maintain that pace over the final seven matches, they'll finish on 86 points. City would need to win all seven remaining fixtures to reach 82 points (assuming they win their game in hand). Even then, Arsenal would be champions.
But football doesn't work on spreadsheets. Arsenal have dropped points in seven matches. They've conceded 31 goals—more than City (29) and only three fewer than United (34). Their defense isn't as solid as the table suggests.
Look, Arsenal are still favorites. But if they drop points in two of their next three matches—away to City on April 20th, home to Newcastle on April 27th, away to United on May 4th—this race gets interesting. City won't slip up. They never do in April and May.
My prediction? Arsenal win the league by four points. But they'll make it harder on themselves than it needs to be.