Wednesday’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal was touted to be the biggest game of this year’s English Premier League (EPL) season.

But at the end, it was a huge gap between expectations and reality.

The match will dominate discussions for weeks to come, and expectedly so.

It was a game that saw Arsenal literally relinquished their long-held title bid to City.

Both teams were a stark contrast of each other on the night. City were symptomatic of a side desperate for success — compact, highly motivated, and clinical in front of goal.

Arsenal, on the other hand, appeared worn-out, clueless and generally unsure of their abilities and what’s at stake.

Although City were the favourites to win the game given the results of their recent meetings, no one — including the writer — expected it to be a walk in the park for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and John Stones handed the defending champions a comfortable 4-1 victory.

“Man City’s last 12 Premier League games against Arsenal: WWWWWWWWWWWW. This is what you call dominance,'” says Israel Igiri, a sports analyst.

If anything, the game was a reality check for Mikel Arteta’s young and ambitious side.

It also demonstrated that they have been largely title pretenders — to the chagrin of fans, who obviously had high hopes for the season already.

At the most crucial stage of the season, Arsenal are crumbling. They lack the monster mentality required of champions to navigate the odds.

Read More: https://www.crispng.com/worn-out-and-clueless-arsenals-dramatic-decline-shows-theyre-title-pretenders/