'Seen this before' - National media react as Liverpool and Arsenal defeats hand Man City title boost

It could prove to be a defining weekend in the Premier League title race as Manchester City surged on while Liverpool and Arsenal staggered.

Pep Guardiola's side continues to march on towards history as they chase an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight crown. More so, the prospect of a 'double-treble', winning back-to-back three-trophy hauls, could very well be on the cards with an FA Cup semi-final on the horizon, as well as a Champions League quarter-final second-leg.

Luton Town were the latest club to fall to the sword of the reigning champions as they hit the Hatters for five in a 5-1 drubbing at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The win took City top of the Premier League, but their title rivals had hopes of catching them up the following day.

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As it happened the race for the title blew wide open as Crystal Palace earned a 1-0 win away at Anfield while Aston Villa boosted European aspirations of their own with a 2-0 win over Arsenal. The gap between the top three is now two points going into the final six games of the season but both Arsenal and Liverpool play twice before City are back in league action.

'The weekend everyone looks back on as when City won the title'

Miguel Delaney of the Independent writes: "So much for an unprecedented three-way title race. It was instead all so familiar at Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s side followed Liverpool in losing at home to perhaps end this run-in just as it was properly beginning.

"This may be the weekend that everyone looks back on as when Manchester City won the 2023-24 title. There was daylight between the champions and the challengers for the first time, although not as wide as that in the Arsenal defence as they chased the game against a brilliantly astute Aston Villa.

"Unai Emery once more did a number on his old club, as this 2-0 win also served to put his side in command of a Champions League place. It was a brilliantly tactical performance, to go with a superb first full season no matter what happens."

'After Liverpool threw away their chance, Arsenal choked'

The Telegraph's Jason Burt wrote: "Suddenly it feels like this has been the pivotal weekend in the Premier League title race. Just after Liverpool threw away their chance to resume the leadership, Arsenal choked.

"It was an accusation levelled against them last season, unfairly so as they were then in a fight to be champions that no one expected, but if they fail to finish first this time round it is a charge they unfortunately cannot escape. And this will be the game everyone refers back to.

"Manchester City may only be two points ahead, after their demolition of Luton Town, and there are six games to go and 18 points to play for, but it is an advantage they could only have dreamt of on Friday night. It is also ominous for their rivals given their pedigree from this position – especially as it has been gifted to them."

'When darkness came, it stayed'

Daily Mail Football Editor Ian Ladyman wrote: "The story of this afternoon was simple. Arsenal, handed an opportunity to turn a three-horse race into a straight fight with Manchester City after Liverpool’s home defeat to Crystal Palace, were absolutely fine in the first half.

"They didn’t score but they played well enough. They dominated the ball and the territory and created a couple of very good opportunities that they narrowly failed to take.

"But then, sometime between the end of the first period and the start of the second, something changed. It was as though a different set of players emerged from the dressing room for the second 45 minutes.

"Arsenal have been in such good form recently but here a cloak of confidence worn so effortlessly during a flawless run of victories and clean sheets fell to the ground as quickly as the sun can disappear behind a cloud. And when the darkness came, it stayed.

"Fear. There it was. Anxiety. That, too. You could see it on their faces and in their body language and in their football. Forward passes became sideways ones. Ambition morphed into caution. Hope became fear."

'We have all seen this movie before'

Barney Ronay of the Guardian said: "This is not the end of the Premier League’s breathlessly trailed three-way title race. This is not the beginning of the end of the Premier League’s breathlessly trailed three-way title race. Except, let’s face it, it probably is both of these things. We have, after all, seen this movie before.

"It is hard to imagine a more satisfying weekend for Manchester City, which kicked off on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Luton, scoring at will, key players unextended, and three days to rest before Real Madrid at home.

"Click forward to Sunday and Liverpool and Arsenal both lost at home, two hours apart, and did so painfully. In the early kick-off Ebereche Eze scored the only goal of the game at Anfield, a beautifully worked combination with only 14 minutes gone. After which Liverpool had 427 shots at the Crystal Palace goal but somehow never really seemed likely to score.

"At the Emirates Arsenal began brightly but were simply reeled in by a muscular and well-grooved Aston Villa, who, rather than hanging on, came close to dominating the last 20 minutes."