Game of the week
Manchester United came from behind to beat league leader Arsenal on its own turf 3-2 Jan. 25.
Boos filled the Emirates Stadium at full time as Manchester United defeated Arsenal in an away match for the first time since 2017. Arsenal has been cruising toward its goal of finally winning the Premier League in recent weeks, but the mood has shifted since this loss.
Arsenal opened the scoring after Manchester United’s center back Lisandro Martinez scored an own goal. However, the first half ended in a tie after a mistake by midfielder Martín Zubimendi led to a goal by forward Bryan Mbeumo.
In the second half, a rocket from winger Patrick Dorgu deflected off the crossbar and into the net to make it 2-1 Manchester United in the 50th minute.
Thirty minutes later, midfielder Mikel Merino scored off a corner for Arsenal to equalize the game once again.
The game-winning goal came 87 minutes in, when substitute forward Matheus Cunha curled the ball to the back of the net from 25 yards out, sending the away end into delirium.
The result was uncharacteristic for Arsenal, which had not lost at home since May 2025 and had not conceded more than two goals since December 2023.
Arsenal: Contenders or pretenders?
Just last week, Arsenal was slowly creeping away from its rivals in the standings. But after failing to capitalize on Manchester City’s draw against Brighton & Hove Albion and its loss against long-time rivals Manchester United, the Gunners saw their lead drop from seven to four points.
Despite having a strong group of 2025 transfers, Arsenal manager Mikael Arteta has failed to find consistency in his starting 11, rotating between starting midfielder Martin Ødegaard and starboy midfielder Eberechi Eze, which has disrupted the flow of the offense.
Arteta has also experimented between starting Ben White and Jurriën Timber at right back. But Timber’s three assists and two goals in 22 appearances have proved that he is Arsenal’s future leader in defense.
With Arsenal’s inconsistency from both the coaching staff and players, Manchester City is on the rise, acquiring Antoine Semenyo from AFC Bournemouth to fill its right-wing spot. This proved to be in The Citizens’ favor, as Semeynyo scored in just his second appearance against the Wolverhampton Wanderers Jan. 24.
Phil Foden continues to struggle in a midfield role. The Sky Blues completed the transfer by acquiring Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace, bolstering their defense even more.
With these moves and recent wins, do not be surprised if Manchester City continues its momentum and becomes the favorite to win the title.
Struggling rivals
Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League this season have been bolstered by the inconsistency of its biggest rivals.
The champions of the previous season, Liverpool, have not recovered from four consecutive Premier League losses between September and October.
The club is also on a five-game winless streak, including its shocking 3-2 loss to Bournemouth Jan. 24.
Liverpool fell from fourth to sixth, 14 points behind Arsenal. Manchester City appears to be the closest rivals to Arsenal, with striker Erling Haaland and Foden netting 11 total goals throughout December. However, the club only has one win in 2026 and lost 2-0 to rival Manchester United Jan. 17.
Aston Villa has also been a team to watch in the title race, with midfielder Morgan Rogers looking like one of the best players in the Premier League. He has seven goals and five assists this season, leading the team in both metrics. It’s unclear whether manager Unai Emery can continue Aston Villa’s hot streak despite lacking the squad depth Arsenal has within its ranks.
Undeniable depth
Even with a current slump, Arsenal can still rely on its star players to pull the team back for a strong final third of the season.
The North London Club boasts the best defense in Europe — goalkeeper David Raya has 11 clean sheets (shutouts) in 23 Premier League games. The center back pairing of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba continues to be one of the best in Europe, with Riccardo Calafiori at left back and Timber at right back, both also assisting the attack.
If any of those starters are injured, Arsenal can count on White, young left back Miles Lewis-Skelly and center backs Cristian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié to provide excellent cover.
Moving further up the field, forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have both returned from long-term injuries, adding to the Gunners’ attack and competing with Viktor Gyökeres for the spot of starting striker.
Arteta hopes Odegaard and Buyako Saka rediscover their goal-scoring form, with only one goal from Odegaard and four from Saka this season.
Takeaways
A shocking loss showed that Arsenal may have hidden weaknesses in its squad that Manchester United managed to expose. Arteta’s tactics may be overly focused on defensive stability rather than providing an attacking threat.
With Manchester City cutting the gap to four points and signing players in key positions, a potential resurgence from the Sky Blues may challenge Arsenal’s dominance. However, it is important to remember that Arsenal remains one of the best teams in European soccer, and if the Gunners can regain their attacking edge, they will remain the favorite to win the Premier League title in May.
