The 0-0 Draw between Arsenal and Manchester City has been acclaimed as one of the most boring matches this season. Not only did it disappoint Gunners and Cityzens alike, but a win against Brighton landed Liverpool in the first place, two points ahead of Arsenal and City, giving them control of their own destiny. That was until Manchester United managed to snag two points from the Reds in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Liverpool, leveling the playing field once more, and bringing the league’s top three teams to within one point of each other.
The current standings have Arsenal at first (71 points), Liverpool in second (71 points), and City at third (70 points), with Arsenal securing the first-place seat with a goal differential of 51 to Liverpool’s 42. There’s been some entertaining title races in the past, but was there ever something as close as this?Â
A Pretty Historic Title Race
Teams being within one point of each other at the top of the table isn’t uncommon as Manchester City ended both the 2021-22 and 2018-19 seasons one point ahead of Liverpool. However, it is rare to see three teams involved in a title race so close that one point, and a couple goals, separate the clubs in first and third.Â
The closest we’ve gotten in more recent years was in the 2013-14 season when City finished first (86 points), two points ahead of Liverpool (84 points), who was two points ahead of Chelsea (82 points). The three traded positions a few times over the last few games of the season until Liverpool lost their second-to-last match against Chelsea (2-0), shooting City to the top of the league.Â
There was also the 1996-97 season, when we saw the first and ONLY time three teams tied for second/third/fourth by points, as Newcastle, Arsenal, and Liverpool ended their seasons with 68 points, seven points under Manchester United.
Then of course there was the 2011-10 season, when, during the dying minutes of their last game of the season, Sergio Aguero scored a 94’ minute goal to put Manchester City up (3-2) against QPR. The win meant both Manchester teams were tied for first at 89 points, but an 8+ goal difference over United gave City the title, the narrowest winning margin to date.Â
A Race Like No Other
So we’ve never seen a race like this, and if these clubs win out the rest of their games, then we could be looking at a title race closer than any other. Liverpool is still participating in the Europa League playing in the quarterfinals, and both Arsenal and Manchester City are approaching the second leg of their Champions League semifinal matches, meaning that there are more midweek matches to come, unless eliminated, which could affect any of these team’s performance in regular season games.Â
Still, there are seven more games until the end of the season, and in such a close battle, every point counts, so will Arsenal run away with the title, or could another cheeky performance from the likes of Manchester United or Aston Villa spoil another team’s chances at some silverware.
