Man City drop more points to hand Arsenal major advantage in title race as West Ham climb out of relegation zone

Mar 14, 2026 - 23:15

Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw away at West Ham to leave them nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

For the second top-flight game in a row, the Citizens have dropped points when leading in what is a seismic weekend in both the Premier League title race and relegation battle.

Erling Haaland reacts during Manchester City's draw with West Ham — Man City have now suffered back-to-back draws in the Premier League

Following a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest earlier this month, City have once again failed to beat a side battling the drop.

Pep Guardiola said prior to Saturday night’s clash at the London Stadium that anything but victory would mean their title aspirations are ‘over’.

They went into their fixture at West Ham just minutes after Arsenal left it late to beat Everton in dramatic fashion.

But the visitors got off to a good start in the capital after Bernardo Silva broke the deadlock in audacious fashion in the 31st minute.

The Portuguese playmaker was sent free down the left hand side of the box, before expertly chipping goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

However, they were pegged back just four minutes later when Konstantinos Mavropanos headed the hosts level after getting on the end of Jarrod Bowen‘s corner.

West Ham barely threatened again, with City dominating the possession and peppering Hermansen, who stood firm between the sticks.

Blue it again

Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly and Tijjani Reijnders all went close – the latter having his free-kick tipped onto the woodwork by the Danish shot-stopper.

But they couldn’t get themselves back in front – handing Arsenal a major advantage in their quest to end their 22-year wait for a first Premier League title.

And the result has huge ramifications on the other end of the table, with West Ham now out of the bottom three.

Bernardo Silva scores for Man City at West Ham — City took the lead after Silva lobbed Hermansen just after the half-hour mark

Konstantinos Mavropanos celebrates his goal against Man City — Mavropanos earned West Ham a huge point which takes them out of the relegation zone

The Hammers have been in great form of late – winning four and drawing three of their last nine league fixtures.

And their draw against City takes West Ham up into 17th spot as they leapfrog above Nottingham Forest by a point.

Forest have the chance to climb out of the bottom three when they welcome Fulham to the City Ground on Sunday.

The result at the London Stadium also further raises the very real prospect that Tottenham Hotspur could drop into the Championship.

They sit one point clear of Forest as they prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield.

Spurs haven’t won a Premier League game in 2026 and have lost their last six matches in all competitions for the first time in club history.

West Ham players celebrate their equaliser against Man City — West Ham have lost just two out of their last nine Premier League matches

Man City players applaud the travelling fans at the London Stadium — City’s title tilt took a major blow in east London on Saturday night

Post-match reaction at the London Stadium

Speaking after the match, Guardiola, who watched the match from the stands due to his touchline ban, said: “No, it’s not over [title race].

“We didn’t lose. We continue. We have an incredible team spirit and we fought after an incredible amount of effort in Madrid, the result and how we play.

“First, we have more control for the shape, for the quality of the players, and we put energy in the second half with incredible talent players. The last two games, nothing for us.

“We played much, much better. Not just the stats, the feelings. We are an incredible team. We play so good. The players guide and go, until the end, we continue.”

As for City midfielder Rodri, he stated: “Maybe [the title race is over] yes, maybe no. We’re not going to drop hands, we’re going to keep fighting.

“We know it’s going to be difficult because we have this experience of what you need to win at the end, I think the distance is too far, but we’re going to fight until the end.

How the Premier League table looks — The draw at the London stadium had had huge ramifications at both ends of the table

“Now is a moment of no regrets, today we showed a little bit of what the season was, ups and downs, then maybe the last pass or the last strike can make the difference.

“Football is about goals and we couldn’t find the players to have numbers in terms of goals.

“That’s the most important thing in football because we created the chances, we controlled the games but this is what makes the difference.”

Hammers skipper Bowen meanwhile remarked: “When you play Man City, you need to be perfect without the ball.

“And I thought we defended, you know, really, really well. The Mads was brilliant in goal, the back, back four, back five, everyone, and it’s a really vital point for us.”