Arsenal had led the Premier League for 200 days. But on Wednesday night, Erling Haaland scored his 35th goal of the season after five minutes at Turf Moor, and Manchester City went top for the first time since October. Arsenal's long reign was over in an instant.

As a Manchester United supporter, watching this title race from the outside has been one of the most entertaining things the Premier League has produced in years. Not because the football has been brilliant, but because nothing has gone as expected. Journalists were already writing 'Arsenal end the wait' pieces, but Bournemouth beat them at home, then they lost at the Etihad.

Now Arsenal hold no tie-breaker advantage. If the two clubs finish level on points, City win the title due to head-to-head results. Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal close, but his performative coaching and cringeworthy training tricks suggest he's feeling the pressure, and it's translating to the pitch.

Chelsea have been providing the most extraordinary sideshow: three managers in 16 months, £2 billion spent, seventh in the table, and five consecutive league games without scoring for the first time since 1912. Latest manager Liam Rosenior was sacked after 106 days. The club's operating losses over three years reached £689 million.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, disrupted the established order through organisation and intelligence. They sold their five best players for £250 million, but manager Andoni Iraola rebuilt and is on course for a top-half finish, having beaten Arsenal at the Emirates and Liverpool at Anfield.

The turning point was Southampton beating Arsenal in the FA Cup quarterfinal. After that, Arsenal's composure and belief wobbled. Now with five games left, City have no European football, are rested, and Haaland has 35 goals. I said in February that Arsenal would bottle it, and I stand by that. But the Premier League always finds a way to surprise you.

Source: www.aljazeera.com