Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte looks to have trolled Arsenal with his latest and hilarious tweet in response to the Gunners’ recent setback. The Spanish centre-back posted a gif of Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson with the caption ‘Mmmmmmm I can smell it,’ referring to how close his team is to winning their fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
Arsenal’s 3-0 home defeat to Brighton at home has effectively delivered the title to Aymeric Laporte’s side. The Gunners were second best to the Seagulls for the entirety of the encounter at the Emirates and can hardly be disappointed with the outcome on their own turf.
— Aymeric Laporte (@Laporte) May 14, 2023
Manchester City smell three-peat as Guardiola’s men only a point away from title triumph
The visitors took the lead at the Emirates when Julio Enciso was left unmarked inside the six-yard box and headed past the hapless Aaron Ramsdale. Replays quickly revealed that Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior had collapsed holding his ankle, giving Enciso the time and space to punish Arsenal.
The Gunners failed to produce any real chances in reaction to going down, and they were two down soon before second-half stoppage time when Deniz Undav lobbed Ramsdale, sparking loud celebrations in the away end of the Emirates. Pervis Estupinan scored the game’s third and final goal deep into second-half stoppage time, by which time many of the home fans had already left.
Though Arsenal are still officially in contention for the title, Manchester City is currently only one victory away from winning their third Premier League in a row and have three games to accomplish so. Guardiola’s men will play Chelsea at home next, where they will be overwhelming favourites given the Blues’ dismal season and bad run of recent losses.
The Manchester City manager is certainly confident in his team’s ability to complete the task, as he was yelling “two more wins” to the away end at Goodison Park earlier on Sunday following their 3-0 win away at Everton. Many anticipated Manchester City to struggle against Sean Dyche’s men after the Toffees thrashed Brighton last Monday, but an Erling Haaland header and an Ilkay Gundogan brace made the game extremely easy for the defending champions.
Since Arsenal’s recent setback, Guardiola’s team might be crowned Premier League champions even before their next domestic match. If Arsenal lose again away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 20, Manchester City will be crowned champions. If Arsenal defeats Forest, their elation may not last long, as City may win it the next day if they defeat Chelsea at the Etihad.
The environment in the Arsenal camp is predictably gloomy, as the Gunners’ skipper Martin Odegaard said:
“Yeah, it feels like that [whether the title is over]. It is going to be very difficult now we have to be honest. It is tough to take. It is not a good feeling at the moment. The way we played, particularly in the second half, I don’t know what happened to be honest. It feels like there is no hope now.”