City Crowned Title Favourites After Premier League Weekend

The Premier League title race tilted sharply towards the Etihad over one chaotic weekend – and Louis Saha has seen enough.

Manchester City, relentless and ruthless again, hit Sunderland for five in a breathless 5-3 win that turned a tight title scrap into a three-point lead heading into the international break. Arsenal, who had carried the momentum for so long, crashed to a bruising 3-0 defeat at Brighton and suddenly look like the side chasing shadows.

For Saha, watching it all unfold, the balance of power is clear.

City’s eight-goal rollercoaster

Enzo Maresca’s side did not stroll into the break. They sprinted.

At the Etihad, Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey produced the kind of performance that usually ruins afternoons in this stadium, rattling in a stunning hat-trick and repeatedly dragging the visitors back into the contest. Each time City surged, Brobbey clawed it back.

City just went again.

Antoine Semenyo set the tone, leading the charge with a decisive brace that underlined why Maresca trusts him on the biggest days. Enzo Fernandez stepped in with his own contribution, Rayan Cherki added another layer of flair and incision, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does – found the net and shut the door.

Five goals, three conceded, and yet it never truly felt like City were losing control. It felt like a heavyweight champion taking a few punches, then walking the challenger down.

That, to Saha, is the difference.

“I think everyone can say that Arsenal had the best momentum even if they lost it towards the end [of last season],” the former Manchester United and France striker told Sky Sports, pointing to the shift. “I think now City understood their mistakes, even if they still have young players coming through, they have this experience.

The combination of strength and creativity is enormous in midfield so I do think they are the strongest one. On the bench as well because Jeremy Doku is coming back, it’s frightening.”

Experience, depth, and a bench that can scare opponents before a ball is kicked. City have all of it, and the table now reflects that.

Arsenal floored at the Amex

While City were trading blows in Manchester, Arsenal were being picked apart on the south coast.

At a raucous Amex Stadium, Brighton delivered what may yet stand as the shock result of the season. The visitors, chasing the title and accustomed to dictating the tempo, were instead pulled apart and punished.

Pascal Gross struck first, Charalampos Kostoulas followed before half-time, and Arsenal’s composure drained with every Brighton attack. The scoreline was 2-0 at the break, but the damage felt deeper: belief, authority, that sense of inevitability around Mikel Arteta’s side – all questioned in 45 minutes.

Any idea of a response died on the hour. Chema Andres rose and headed home Brighton’s third, a goal that didn’t just kill the game but underlined the gulf on the day. Arsenal were beaten comprehensively, in every sense.

This was the “disastrous weekend” Saha was referring to. Not just a defeat, but a statement – and not from Arsenal.

A title race reshaped

The timing of it all sharpens the edge. The international break arrives with City three points clear at the top and carrying the kind of momentum that unnerves rivals.

For Arsenal, the pause is both a blessing and a test. A chance to reset, yes, but also two long weeks to stew on what went wrong at Brighton and what it means for the weeks ahead.

When they return, there is no margin for error. Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign against Leeds in three weeks, fully aware that another slip could be fatal in a race against a City side that rarely gives anything back once it has taken control. Dropped points now don’t just hurt; they invite City to disappear over the horizon.

Maresca’s men, meanwhile, walk straight into a trial of their own credentials. Their next league assignment is at Anfield, against a Liverpool side that turns home advantage into something close to a force of nature. City arrive with a perfect away record in the league, a statistic that will either harden their title credentials or expose new questions.

Saha has nailed his colours to the mast. City, in his eyes, are “the strongest one” – on the pitch, in midfield, and crucially on the bench, where the looming return of Jeremy Doku only adds another weapon to an already loaded arsenal of their own.

The champions have their lead. The challengers have their doubts. When the league restarts, we find out whether this was just a twist in the story – or the weekend when the title race truly turned sky blue.