Manchester City’s comeback and Arsenal’s collapse: How Premier League leaders have lost their grip on the title. Many pundits and fans are arguing – did Arsenal choke under pressure, or are Manchester City simply unstoppable?
Arsenal had an eight-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League in early April, after beating Leeds United 4-1 at home.
But by May, their title dreams were shattered, after they threw away a lead and lost to Brighton at home on Sunday.
According to data experts Nielsen’s Gracenote, Arsenal did not fail to meet their expectations, as they have 81 points, which is exactly what they projected.
Rather, it is Manchester City who have exceeded their expectations, as they have gained seven more points than expected since mid-January.
BBC Sport revisits the other Premier League title races where big leads have been erased.
The 2011-12 season saw a fierce battle between Manchester City and Manchester United for the Premier League crown. The two rivals took turns at the top of the table throughout the season. But after losing 1-0 to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 8 April, City were eight points behind United with six games left.
Would Sir Alex Ferguson add a 13th Premier League trophy to his collection at Old Trafford? Or would Roberto Mancini end City’s 44-year wait for a top-flight title?
In one of the most thrilling finales to a Premier League season, City won all of their last six games – including a 1-0 victory over United – to clinch the league on goal difference. While Mancini’s side kept winning, Ferguson saw his side lose 1-0 to Wigan and draw 4-4 with Everton after being 4-2 up with seven minutes remaining.
In their last game of the season, City were trailing 2-1 at home to QPR and United were winning at Sunderland. But City’s Edin Dzeko scored an equaliser in the 92nd minute and Sergio Aguero scored a famous winner in the fourth minute of added time to make Manchester blue.
Liverpool & Man City, 2013-14 (nine-point lead)
Liverpool had not won a league title since 1990, but they looked set to end their drought in 2014 under Brendan Rodgers. The Reds went on a stunning run of form, winning 11 games in a row – including a home win over Manchester City – to lead the Premier League title race in April 2014 by five points over second-placed Chelsea and nine points over Manuel Pellegrini’s City in third.
Liverpool had played more games than their two nearest rivals, so Rodgers and his team knew they had no room for error in their final three games.
But the title race was turned upside down when Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea visited Anfield on 27 April. Demba Ba gave the Blues the lead just before half-time after Reds captain Steven Gerrard slipped, and Willian sealed a 2-0 win with a late counter-attack goal.
A week later Liverpool’s title hopes were dealt another blow when they let go of a three-goal lead in the last 11 minutes in a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace.
While the Reds faltered, City won their last five games and secured their second Premier League title in three years by two points.
