Nervy nights and late winners as the Premier League drama continues

THE drama did not start over the weekend. It began on Friday morning as Arsenal decided to play their matchweek 31st against Wolves early to avoid fixture congestion in the future.

It was an opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s men to go seven points clear with a game in hand against Manchester City, but instead the Gunners suffered a frustrating draw and dropped two crucial points after going ahead by two nil.​

Once again, Arsenal being Arsenal, the psychological barrier is preventing this squad from maintaining a comfortable lead.

The negative thoughts are slowly creeping in, and with City breathing down their neck, it could be a nervy couple of weeks for everyone associated with the club.​

Before the North London derby, City took advantage and closed the gap to just two points as Nico O’Reilly grabbed a brace to ensure Pep Guardiola’s men were on Arsenal’s tail.

While Arsenal failed to hold on to a lead against Wolves, Guardiola got the best of their squad as they held on to the late assault by the Magpies.

Even Erling Haaland won crucial defensive headers and put his body on the line to ensure that the hunt was on!​

Not your typical City performance, but at this stage, with new players integrating into the squad, results are all that matter.

With the entire team having experience in the title chase, and Rodri slowly playing himself back into form, Arsenal must look closely in their rearview mirror because objects appear closer than they seem.​

But as usual, Arteta’s team will rise to the occasion, especially against their North London rivals, Tottenham.

New manager but same old Spurs as Arsenal bounced back from the midweek game to secure all three points with another brilliant performance from Eberechi Eze.

For a player that Spurs were interested in during the summer, Eze loves scoring against them.

83% of his goals come against Spurs. Someone definitely holds a grudge.​

The Gunners were full of zest and showed attacking intent for the full 90 minutes. Somehow, the same conviction was missing against Wolves in the draw.

The gap is two points, but if Arsenal can show the same intent and play the same style for the remaining 11 games, the title could be coming home.

It is up to the squad to have the same mentality going into each game.​

The race for the Champions League spot is getting spicy, too, as Chelsea once again dropped two points late on after they got off to an excellent start.

Indiscipline at the back is costing Chelsea once again, as the dismissal of Wesley Fofana for a second bookable offence allowed Burnley to equalise directly from a set piece.

It is the second consecutive draw for Liam Rosenior, and it could be crucial come season’s end.

The draw has allowed Liverpool to stay in the fray for a Champions League spot.​

Arne Slot’s men were awful for 90 minutes, but in the game of football, you have to play to the final whistle, and indeed the Reds did.

The winner came in the 97th minute as the three points ensured that the Merseyside club are still in the running for the Champions League.

It is a three horse race between Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.​

This is Slot’s first win against Nottingham Forest, and while the performance is something that he should not be proud of, Slot definitely welcomed the result.

It is now a back-to-back win for Slot as the team bounced back from the defeat against City.

It is time for the team to be consistent to make sure that the season is not a waste.

Both Wolves and Burnley are demonstrating that even though they are going to be relegated, they are not going down without a fight and would love to ruin the party for every team that has something to play for.

Even Forest and West Ham are showing other teams how it is done, and you need to earn every single point whenever you play with them.

This is a different mentality compared to teams from yesteryear.

Are the teams getting better, or have the team standards dropped? Whatever it is, this works well for the television network because competitive balance brings the audience to the fray.​

Another great week of football as the season is brewing up to a grand finale. There is plenty to play for – from the title to the relegation battle.

As of now, both Wolves and Burnley are set for the drop, but in football, anything could happen.

Champions League spots and even the title race are still open for the teams competing in it. Whatever it is, we, the fans, are the real winners.