'If Arsenal don't win title now the blame will be entirely their own'

When Mikel Arteta tried to settle the nerves of Arsenal's fans by urging them to "jump on the fun boat" to Premier League title glory, little did he realise Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery would be at the helm.

The Gunners manager was attempting to calm the air of panic that appeared to grip Arsenal – manager, players and supporters – during and after the Premier League leaders' home defeat to a resurgent Manchester United.

Fast forward seven days and The Gunners are sitting pretty with a six-point lead at the top after Manchester City and Aston Villa suggested that even if Arsenal opened the door, they would trip over the mat on the way in.

This has been a perfect weekend for Arsenal, one that has added to the sense that this is the "now or never" season for Arteta and his players.

If Arsenal do not end up as Premier League champions now, the blame will lie firmly at their own feet.

Arsenal did their bit by thrashing Leeds United 4-0 at Elland Road on Saturday then sat back to see what Manchester City and Villa would do about it.

The answer? Shoot themselves in the foot in a manner that suggested if "the fun boat" hit some choppy waters ahead, it would still sail triumphantly into port at the end of the season.

And weekends as good as this one will make Arsenal's passage to a first Premier League title since 2004 even smoother.

Villa slipped up by suffering a second successive home defeat, this time to Brentford, while Manchester City showed the sort of carelessness, complacency and soft centre that is a serious weakness when casting aside a 2-0 lead at Tottenham Hotspur to take only a point.

If the cheers inside the vast Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were deafening when Dominic Solanke's "scorpion kick" drew his side level with 20 minutes left, they might just have been even louder four miles away in Arsenal's part of north London.

Guardiola put on his bravest face to tell BBC Sport: "We played a really good game in general. At 70 minutes they put more balls in behind, more players there, more players in the middle to attack more direct.

"They found a goal and we know what's happened and after that they had the momentum. The Premier League is like that. We had our momentum again at the end.

"It is a setback but we are still there, we move on. There are 14 games to go and a lot of points. We will see."

Antoine Semenyo, who scored City's second goal, was also defiant as he told BBC Sport: "The way we set up was to draw them out a little bit. It worked perfectly in the first half. I had another chance before my goal. I am kicking myself but we have to go again.

"Winning would definitely have helped our cause but it is not over yet. There are 14 games to go so anything can happen."

Guardiola must still be furious and frustrated at how City were so much in command at half-time with a two-goal advantage, yet somehow contrived to cast aside two points and almost lose all three.

Spurs showed grit to get back and draw, but City were the architects of their own downfall as they were rattled out of calm control by Thomas Frank's side, who have still only won two home league games out of 12 this season.

On this evidence, even moreso against these opponents, this flawed City showed they can be got at and undermined in a manner that does not give confidence they will overhaul Arsenal.

This was the first time City had led by 2+ goals at half time in a game but failed to win since April 2018 (3-2 defeat to Manchester United). They had won on each of the last 115 occasions when leading by 2+ goals at the break in all competitions.

Emery has always played down Villa's title aspirations as part of expectation management, but they were in the conversation only for those home losses to Everton then Brentford to perhaps confirm his belief that his side were always the long shot contenders.

With 14 games to go, even taking into account that loss to Manchester United and the fact tension can swiftly grip Arsenal's supporters at Emirates Stadium, The Gunners are the most consistent, rounded squad and team.

Guardiola, justifiably, will say City are still in the race but league form since the turn of the year says otherwise, with only one win from six games coming at home to doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

City also slipped in an embarrassing 3-1 loss away to Bodo Glimt in the Champions League. This is not the form of a team comfortable in its own skin as it pursues the big prizes.

Arsenal have had to navigate difficulties of their own, dropping points in draws at home to Liverpool then at Nottingham Forest, before losing to Manchester United, but they have emerged from this period six points clear with their closest rivals stumbling around them.

It is all at Arteta and Arsenal's feet now.