The Premier League title race has tightened and looks set for a suspenseful finale.
Arsenal sit top with nine games remaining, five points clear of Manchester City, who have dominated the division by winning six of the last eight titles. City have a game in hand and will host Arsenal in April; if either side wins all its remaining matches, that team will finish champions.
Late-season leads are far from decisive. In the past 30 seasons, the team leading after 28 matches failed to win the title in 11 campaigns. Arsenal themselves have seen leads slip away late in both 2023 and 2024, so being ahead now is no guarantee.
Which role brings more strain — being in front or chasing? Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s record goalscorer and a title winner with Blackburn in 1994–95, prefers to be the hunted. He argues that when you’re top and keep winning, pressure shifts to the pursuers; lack of experience in that position can trip teams up, he adds, recalling Blackburn’s learning curve between near-misses and success.
Former WSL captain Steph Houghton, a three-time league winner, agrees that pressure exists in both scenarios but says there is a different, more manageable quality to being
