DOOR'S NOW OPEN FOR CITY

Lacklustre Gunners cannot cope with heat of title race

- John Cross

THE mark of true champions is being able to handle pressure.

And, one-by-one, they crumbled. First Liverpool, then Arsenal lost their nerve, as Mikel Arteta could not take advantage of what could be a pivotal week in the title race.

It was Gary Lineker who came out with the famous quote: "Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end the Germans always win."

That can be updated to: "Twenty-two men chase a ball for nine months and at the end Manchester City always win." Pep Guardiola's men applied the heat by thrashing Luton on Saturday to go top for the first time since November - and neither of their rivals were able to respond.

In fact, they both fell apart, and City now look favourites to land a fourth title in a row. Arsenal looked tired, flat and short of ideas.

Gabriel, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko were poor at the back and the forwards were just as lacklustre.

Aston Villa deserved to win after being far superior in the second half.