Man City postponed a round to earn tickets to compete in the FA Cup semi-finals and it is likely that “The Citizens” will have to pay the price for this ambition, when the Premier League championship race is in the decisive phase.

Taking advantage of the fact that both Man City and Man United had to play in the FA Cup quarterfinals, Arsenal crushed Crystal Palace with a resounding 4-1 victory at the Emirates home field on the night of March 19. Six consecutive rounds of wins since mid-February have helped coach Mikel Arteta’s team stay at the top of the Premier League table, despite all the upheavals on the field of foggy country as the season nears the finish line.

The “Gunners” recovered from a penalty shootout defeat to Sporting Lisbon in midweek to defeat Crystal Palace in the capital derby, pocketing 3 more points to widen the gap with second-placed team Man City to the top. 8 points. This is a very significant difference when there are only 10 rounds left in the tournament and if half of these matches are handled well, Arsenal will have the complete right to decide for themselves the championship title that has eluded them since the 2003-2004 season.

No longer having to strain for many fronts, Arsenal is quite comfortable with a leisurely schedule because they no longer have to worry about moving around and playing 2-3 matches per week. The frequency of playing 1 match per week is quite comfortable, helping Arsenal players maintain their physical strength in peak condition in the context of this team’s lack of squad depth and uniformity at all levels.