Premier League title race: Arsenal will never forgive themselves if they don’t win

Arsenal Maybe he left Nottingham Forest Saturday night regretting the missed opportunity. The reality is that they will never have a better chance of ending a Premier League title drought dating back to the Invincibles in 2004.

Mikel Arteta’s side came out of the weekend with a seven-point advantage as a chasing pack intended to put them under pressure faltered badly.

Arsenal and Arteta will urge caution, but the Gunners will never forgive themselves if they do not claim a title that has proven elusive, in the face of Manchester City’s dominance and Liverpool’s successes.

When all the circumstances are examined, this appears to be a ‘now or never’ season for Arteta’s Arsenal.

If they fail to win the title this season from this position, the regret will be profound. Everything is ready for the triumphant dash towards the finishing bar.

Back-to-back goalless draws have left some questioning Arsenal’s firepower, but with the strongest defense in the league and their rivals continuing to decline, it will take a brave person to stand up against them now.

They have lost significant leads at the top of the Premier League before – and later in the season – but none of the teams below them have shown signs of producing the consistency needed to challenge them.

Manchester City failed to lift the pressure valve before Arsenal traveled to the City Ground with a derby loss to Manchester United – their fourth match in a row without a win.

And then, here at Villa Park, Aston Villa saw their hopes of leapfrogging Pep Guardiola’s side into second place take a backseat as Premier League club Everton recorded a thoroughly deserved win.

As for defending champions Liverpool, they put up a miserable defense of their title, with Saturday’s disappointing draw with Burnley at Anfield drawing boos from their own fans and leaving them in fourth place, 14 points behind Arsenal.

Villa had won their last 11 home games, but Everton threatened in crucial moments long before Tierno Barry capitalized on goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s decision to turn a routine stop into an element of his showpiece display with a brilliant finish.