There is no limit to the admiration for Guardiola's team. As well as believing that all the trophies are already in their hands.

The match at the Etihad was the primary battle of this season in the Premier League: a face-to-face meeting of the two leaders was to determine who would take the trophy. City's victory gave Guardiola's team the confidence that now it was in their hands that they would control the final situation in the table, so Arsenal could not concede.

But the London club lost on the field and missed the looming championship. Mathematical chances for the title remain, but in reality, City has a lead in points lost, as there are two matches in hand, a more detailed schedule, and a completely crazy level of football.

Goal.com asks the logical question: Arsenal couldn't stop City, but who can?

"The race for the Premier League title was one of the best in recent times, but it must have already ended after Manchester City defeated Arsenal on Wednesday," writes the media. - City dominated every aspect of the game. In some moments, with their impeccable short passing game, they took Arsenal by surprise, moving the ball across the lawn with lightning speed and not letting opponents get close to it. Jack Grealish won every duel, while Haaland intercepted and played balls admirably. It was a powerful performance, which is entirely the merit of Guardiola. The coach developed the perfect game plan by combining the other two tournaments. The teacher again smashed his student.

On their way to the title, Arsenal had a great stretch this season but fizzled out at the most inopportune moment. This match was announced as decisive between the two best teams in the country, but after a few minutes, it became clear: the men were playing against the boys. Arsenal didn't have a response to City's brilliance. The hosts were on a different level and should have won by a much larger margin than three goals. But Arsenal have nothing to be ashamed of. The fact that they have outflanked City for almost the entire season shows how well they have done. They couldn't keep up."

The Guardian praises Guardiola's team: "It was a champion team performance that bordered on physical, technical, and tactical perfection. "City" did not allow the opponent to breathe. City captured the game, but not in the smooth, decorative fashion of previous attempts. They came to this match with a plan. And the plan was: we'll step over you, and when you have the ball, we'll run through you. They did not allow Arsenal to escape.

Is this team the best, most ruthless, and most efficient Premier League has ever seen? Probably. But it also feels like something else: a scarce example of how close this challenging team sport can come to complete physical and technical excellence."

The Mirror admits: Arsenal has been superb all season, but City has picked up steam over the winter, just as the London team started to misfire. And while the rest of the media are thinking along the same lines, arguing about what this season's race for the title has been, The Independent believes this: "The humiliation of Arsenal proves that the title race was just an illusion."

"What has been a reality is the City team's machine, turning the game, which the Premier League considers its main prestige, into a training session," the newspaper writes. - The only visible rivalry in this match was between two great City talents trying to establish who is the best player in the Premier League.

The difference in the score could be much more significant. The gap at the top of the table by the end of the season will undoubtedly turn into an abyss. Guardiola will say that City must win the remaining seven games, but who doubts that this will happen? Does anyone think they need to win all seven matches to become champions? There is a fear that Arsenal will disappear, as many of their stars already looked tired in this meeting. City just trampled them on the field. And it's not an illusion."

But what does not seem like an illusion to journalists in England is the conquest of City by a treble. They write about it as if this is already a settled matter, and it doesn't matter that MS has a semi-final ahead of Real Madrid.

"When Manchester United thrashed Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals in April 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson's team began to believe they could do the unthinkable and make it to the treble," recalls ESPN. - Manchester City's runaway 4-1 victory over the same club makes one belief the same for Guardiola's team. Arsenal is so good this season; I was amazed. Suddenly, the team is what it has been for the last decade - fighting for a place in the top six and not a contender for the title.

City is 11 games away from greatness and erasing the word "unique" from United's claim that they are the only English club to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the same season. City is now so ominous that the treble has gone from impossible and unbelievable to seemingly inevitable.

Having beaten Mikel Arteta's team, who have topped the Premier League table for 28 match days, City are now in complete control of the title race. They are already taking the title. But now it's only a minor goal – it's all about the treble."

27.04.2023