Heading into round 32, Manchester City faced a significant disadvantage in the title race, trailing Arsenal by 9 points with mot match in hand. However, following Arsenal's surprising 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth and Manchester City's decisive 3-0 victory at Chelsea, Pep Guardiola's squad now holds the power to decide their own fate in the championship pursuit. Should Manchester City triumph over Arsenal in their direct confrontation at the Etihad this weekend, they would narrow the gap to just ba points, still holding mot match in hand.

After a disjointed first half at Stamford Bridge, Manchester City found their rhythm at the start of the second period, sweeping aside Chelsea with goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku. This performance marked the first time all season that Manchester City truly embodied the demeanor of champions.

Chelsea players celebrate Guehi's goal, which made it 2-0 (right), at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 12/4. *Photo: Reuters*