Mikel Arteta sent brutal £21.4m message as surprise Arsenal title race reality emerges

Arsenal suffered a damaging blow to their Premier League title dreams on Sunday at the hands of Aston Villa. Late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins condemned the Gunners to their first league defeat of 2024 on a day when title rivals Liverpool also shockingly lost at home.

The previous day Manchester City moved top of the table following a dominant win over Luton Town with it expected Liverpool and Arsenal would also pick up three points. However, Crystal Palace beat Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday with Arsenal then losing to Villa, managed by former Gunners head coach Unai Emery.

As a result, Liverpool and Arsenal each remained on 71 points, two off Man City, with the former third on goal difference. While all three teams have kept pace with each other over the last few months, this could be the turning point in the title race now that Man City have a lead to hold.

With only a few weeks remaining of the regular season, teams have already seen their promotion dreams or relegation nightmares confirmed with the winners in other domestic leagues around Europe already being decided. And that was the case in Germany this week with Bayer Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga title following a 5-0 win against Werder Bremen.

Xabi Alonso's side are thus far unbeaten with former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka, who joined the German side last summer, playing a key role. The Switzerland international was superb for the Gunners in his final season at the club with an amicable exit agreed.

«There are three parts to this,» Arteta revealed when asked about his departure. «He had a very clear desire that it was the right time and a big opportunity for him personally to move there. We had that conversation and in the end we all agreed that it was