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Two games from the halfway point of the season, the gap at the top of the Premier League is down to five points, and Manchester City is once more looking ominous. The timing of the World Cup perhaps has skewed perceptions, but there is still an awful long way to go. What Thursday’s 1–0 win at Chelsea showed above all else is just how deep City’s squad is. And that is not something the league leader Arsenal can say.
City’s draw against Everton last weekend had allowed Arsenal to pull seven points clear, but when Mikel Arteta’s side was held at home to Newcastle on Tuesday, the opportunity was there for City to reduce its lead to the margin it had held going in to the World Cup. For Arsenal there were two real worries that came out of Tuesday: the way it became so agitated by Newcastle’s spoiling, and the lack of creativity from the bench when a spark was needed late on. City, though, has plenty of spark to bring on and made the most of those resources after a disappointing first half.
