Fights for the title: from Mahrez's annoying place to Arteta's ultra-caution | first division

2018-19

1. Manchester City 98 points
2. Liverpool 97 points
7 Oct 18: Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City
January 3, 19: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool

Having begun their managerial rivalry in the Bundesliga, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola first met in an English title race in 2018-19, after Liverpool eliminated Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals. from the previous season. October's battle between challengers and champions at Anfield was a failure, with Riyad Mahrez's late penalty missing the climax of a sloppy goalless draw. The same cannot be said for the January rematch at the Etihad, which would go down as one of the Premier League's biggest games. Liverpool arrived unbeaten, seven points clear of a faltering City side, who had lost three of their last five games. The hosts simply had to win, but at 0-0, John Stones' goal-line clearance was the moment that defined the narrow margins of this title race: Liverpool they were 11.7 mm away from taking the lead. Roberto Firmino canceled out Sergio Agüero's opener but Leroy Sané's clinical finish gave City the lead, despite wave after wave of pressure from Liverpool. The Reds ultimately lost by a single point, and the defeat at the Etihad also denied Klopp's team an unbeaten season.

2019-20

1. Liverpool 99 points
2. Manchester City 81 points
Nov 10, 19: Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City
July 2, 20: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool

Having been so close last season, Liverpool They started the season relentlessly, winning 10 of their 11 games before City visited Anfield in November. Guardiola needed a result to keep Klopp's unbeaten team within striking distance but they were swept aside in a frantic, bad-tempered battle. Fabinho's long-range strike put the hosts on the path to a three-goal lead and, although Guardiola was infuriated by the refereeing decisions, it made little difference to the result or the title race. When Liverpool lost a league game (to Watford in February), they were 22 points clear of City, and the title was a formality. And then Covid arrived. After a three-month shutdown, the season was played behind closed doors, and when Liverpool visited an empty Etihad in July, the title was already theirs. City claimed a 4-0 victory that contrasted starkly with the white-hot intensity of the second leg; In doing so, they at least helped prevent Liverpool from surpassing their record of 100 points, set in 2018.

2021-22

1. Manchester City 93 points
2. Liverpool 92 points
October 3, 21: Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
April 10 22: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool

City clinched the title in the Covid-affected 2020-21 campaign, but Liverpool re-emerged as contenders the following season, playing out two thrilling 2-2 draws against their rivals. In the first, at Anfield, the hosts took the lead twice, with Sadio Mané's first goal and an incredible solo goal from Mohamed Salah, but City showed courage to quickly equalize on both occasions, thanks to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne. The title battle was reignited, even if Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea were in first place after the draw in October. When Liverpool visited the Etihad in April, the chasing pack was far away and City led by a point. This time it was Liverpool who dug deep to tie twice and deny the leaders a knockout blow, but City maintained their one-point lead until the end, fighting back to win. beat Aston Villa 3-2 on a dramatic last day.

2022-23

1. Manchester City 89 points
2. Arsenal 84 points
February 15, 23: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City
April 26 23: Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal

This was the season in which the death of Queen Elizabeth II played an unexpected role in the title race. Mikel Arteta's emerging team started relentlessly, leading City by five points at the World Cup break in November and widening the gap to eight by mid-January. However, match postponements from September had the domino effect of delaying Arsenal's two games against City until the second half of the season, with the champions attacking the Emirates in February. After an even and entertaining first half, clinical goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland took Guardiola's team to the top. Arsenal They continued to struggle, but a run of three draws gave City the lead, and the dominant 4-1 home win in April, led by Kevin De Bruyne, marked a decisive change in momentum. Arsenal led the table for 248 games but the two games against City were crucial; The six points they lost meant they finished five points away from the title.

2023-24

1. Manchester City 91 points
2. Arsenal 89 points
October 8, 2023: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
March 31, 24: Manchester City 0-0 Arsenal

After losing seven goals in two games last season, Arteta was determined to show more defensive backbone against City. In early October, a late winner from Gabriel Martinelli settled a cagey contest at the Emirates, earning Arsenal their first league win over City since 2015, as the unbeaten Gunners kept pace with Tottenham at the top. The return leg in March ended in a bitter stalemate, with Arsenal remaining one point ahead of City but two behind Liverpool in a three-horse race. Both rivals stumbled in the run-up, while City won their next nine games to retain the title, finishing two points clear of Arsenal despite not scoring in any of their games against them. Should Arteta have risked fighting for victory at the Etihad? Maybe: the two teams finished with the same goal difference, meaning a win at City would have given Arsenal the title.