Arsenal took another long step towards the Premier League title after a 1-0 victory over Burnley at the Emirates. However, the home team's tense performance was almost overshadowed by Kai Havertz escaping a red card in the second half.
Coach Mikel Arteta's team will officially win the championship for the first time since 2004 if Manchester City cannot defeat Bournemouth. However, only winning Burnley by a minimum score means Arsenal is likely still to have to defeat Crystal Palace in the final round to decide the throne themselves, in case Man City wins both Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
Good news for Arteta is that Havertz - who scored the only goal of the match - will be eligible to play in the final round after escaping a red card penalty for a dangerous tackle on Lesley Ugochukwu.
The situation occurred about 20 minutes before the end of the match, when the German striker stepped his shoe under the Burnley player's calf. VAR checked but referee Paul Tierney was not asked to directly review the situation off the field, before the VAR team concluded that the ball was not serious enough to issue a red card.
If sent off, Arsenal could have played more than the last 20 minutes with 10 men and faced the risk of losing valuable points in the championship race. Fortunately for Arsenal, the most remembered moment was still Havertz's decisive goal in the first half - a goal that brought the "Gunners" closer to their first Premier League title after more than two decades.
However, this victory continues to show that Arsenal is putting pressure on themselves in the decisive stage. If they defeat Burnley with a heavier score, the Emirates home team can create a great advantage in goal difference against Man City. Instead, the two teams are still equal in goal difference (+43).
Like the narrow victory against West Ham before that, Arsenal once again had to rely on set pieces to win all 3 points. Arteta's team controlled the match but lacked explosiveness in attack and did not create too many clear chances against a relegated Burnley.
That makes pressure continue to weigh on Arsenal before the difficult away trip to Selhurst Park in the final round. Before the match against Burnley, Arsenal fans raised large banners at the Emirates with the words "3 matches to make history". Now, they are only one victory away from the Premier League title.
While Arsenal is focusing on Crystal Palace, Man City will face a huge challenge at Bournemouth's stadium. Pep Guardiola's team must win to maintain the hope of winning the championship, but Bournemouth is currently one of the clubs with the most stable form in the Premier League.
The Vitality Stadium team has been unbeaten since January and only needs one more point to get closer to a European cup spot next season. Guardiola himself also admitted that this could be the most difficult match that Man City faces in the final stage of the season.
After just exerting themselves in the FA Cup final last weekend, Man City will have to quickly recover both physically and mentally for the away match considered the "final" of the season.
As for Arsenal, everything is now in their hands. If they defeat Crystal Palace in the final round, the "Gunners" will officially end 22 years of waiting to return to the Premier League throne, regardless of Man City's result.
