Are you watching, Arsenal?! Winners and losers as Man City set up Premier League title showdown for the ages - but Chelsea's gamble on Liam Rosenior threatens to blow BlueCo's project to pieces

It is worth remembering that a player who has been overwhelmingly described as a maverick and who had not previously lived up to the hype around him as a teenage prodigy seemed a risky choice as a successor to Kevin De Bruyne. But Rayan Cherki has not only proved to be a shrewd purchase for the future at just £34m ($45m) - he could prove the difference between City winning the league or not.

The Gallic genius unlocked a cagey game with his cross to O'Reilly and then produced a work of art to set up Marc Guehi's goal, showcasing his dribbling ability and his knack for picking out a pass. His two assists in the space of seven minutes took him to 10 in the Premier League for the season - a tally that only Bruno Fernandes can better.

Probably the biggest losers from Sunday's game were a team that didn't even play in it. Chants of, "Are you watching, Arsenal?" boomed from the Stamford Bridge away end as the match went on, only growing louder with each City goal.

City have closed the gap on the Gunners to six points, and boast a game in hand. More importantly than anything else, though, they host the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium next weekend in a fixture that has typically decided the fate of the title in recent seasons.

Guardiola's men obliterated Mikel Arteta's side in 2022-23 before Arsenal held out for a 0-0 draw the following season, which drew criticism from Rodri over their mentality of not wanting to actually win the game and the league. A frantic 2-2 draw at the start of 2024-25 was, in hindsight, a sign that two imperfect teams were always going to fall short of Liverpool.

We now have six days of build-up to one of the most anticipated Premier League matches in years. Arsenal have the distraction, or blessing, of a Champions League quarter-final second leg with Sporting beforehand, while City have a free week to prepare. How are your nerves, Gunners fans?

People from Manchester often look at London with an air of suspicion but O’Reilly has been having the time of his life in his last two trips to the nation’s capital with City. Dashing Arsenal’s quadruple dream by starring in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley three weeks ago has clearly not sated the 21-year-old, who appeared to be on a mission to crank up the pressure on the Gunners even further from the moment he arrived at Stamford Bridge.

O'Reilly's insatiable hunger could be seen in the first half when he came down on Estevao like a tonne of bricks and created a good chance which Cherki could not quite seize upon. The Frenchman made amends by returning the favour in the second half with a peach of a cross and O’Reilly did not disappoint, bullying Andrey Santos in the air and producing a towering header which Erling Haaland, standing a couple of feet to his left, would have been proud of. 

City's homegrown utility player has contributed to 14 goals this season in all competitions and he has developed a particular taste for scoring of late, netting six times since February, and four times with his head.

Liam Rosenior probably didn't start the 2025-26 season expecting to be Chelsea head coach. He may not have even thought it was a possibility until Enzo Maresca lost his job on New Year's Day. The former defender even made a decent start to life in the Stamford Bridge dugout, but his team have been unable to kick a habit which Rosenior once described as "setting points on fire".

Chelsea's squad of young talent isn't solely to blame for the predicament they find themselves in, however. The buck stops and starts with Rosenior, who made life even more difficult for himself by agreeing with the club's sanctioning of vice-captain Enzo Fernandez for two games over comments he made about potentially joining Real Madrid in the future. 

In Fernandez's absence, the Blues' midfield two of Caicedo and Andrey Santos made errors leading to City goals. If Chelsea don't secure a spot in next season's Champions League, then ownership could feasibly make another managerial change, having made a song and dance about how important qualification was upon Rosenior's arrival.

When Guehi joined City in mid-January, he instantly injected some stability into a defence that was reeling from the twin injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol in their last game against Chelsea. By seamlessly slotting into the defence despite working with several different partners, the England international has helped Guardiola’s side get their season back on track. 

At Stamford Bridge, he was determined to get involved in the attack, and after having two chances in the first half, he grabbed his first Premier League goal for the club, having gotten off the mark for his new club in the FA Cup against Salford City two months ago.

As the son of a Church minister, Guehi must have heard the saying that God works in mysterious ways a lot. And while he was understandably distraught when his planned move to Liverpool fell through at the last minute last summer, he must be glad it did.

While the Reds are scrambling to finish in the top five and have almost no chance of winning a trophy now, the defender is involved in a proper title race with City and is looking forward to an FA Cup semi-final.

The chain of accountability at Chelsea only stretches back from Rosenior to the club's board themselves. Owners BlueCo decided Maresca's job was untenable, having seemingly been pushed to the limit under stressful conditions, with both parties deciding they were better off going their separate ways.

In alienating Maresca, BlueCo took a chance on another relatively unknown quantity in Rosenior, whose Chelsea side can hardly hold a candle to the Italian's version of the team. There is always a story of chaos and confusion at Stamford Bridge, and that is the culture they have created for themselves.

Only three points separate the Blues from the Premier League's bottom half, having sabotaged their own season for little reason. Reports suggest Chelsea may have to sell off key players if they don't reach the Champions League due to PSR concerns, while Fernandez's itchy feet could be the start of a club-wide epidemic.