A six-goal spectacle, a late equaliser, and yet - a lingering sense of damage. Manchester City's chaotic 3-3 draw against Everton may go down as one of the games of the season, but it could also be remembered as the night their Premier League title charge slipped out of their control.
Because for all the drama of a 97th-minute leveller, the bigger story lies in a frantic 13-minute spell that saw City unravel - and potentially hand the advantage to Arsenal.
For large parts, this looked like a classic City performance.
- Jeremy Doku opened the scoring with a sharp finish
- Pep Guardiola's side dominated early phases with composure and control
And then, almost inexplicably, it flipped.
In a chaotic 13-minute stretch:
- Everton struck three times
- Thierno Barry grabbed a brace
- Jake O'Brien added a header
- A defensive lapse involving Marc Guehi compounded City's problems
From 1-0 up to 3-1 down, City didn't just lose control - they lost momentum, structure, and possibly, their grip on the title race.
Man City Late fightback masks deeper concerns
To their credit, City responded.
Erling Haaland pulled one back almost instantly and Doku returned to score a stunning late equaliser
It salvaged a point. It salvaged pride. But it didn't quite salvage the bigger picture. "It's not in our hands anymore," admitted Pep Guardiola post-match.
And that's the shift that matters.
Title race equation: Advantage Arsenal
The draw leaves City chasing rather than controlling.
- Maximum possible points: 83
- Arsenal currently ahead - and crucially, in control of their destiny
For Mikel Arteta's side, the equation is simple: Win their remaining games, and the title is theirs. That clarity is often decisive at this stage of the season.
For City, the equation is now simple - win everything and hope.
For Arsenal, it's even simpler - just win.
But beyond the numbers, momentum has shifted. Control has shifted. And perhaps, belief has too.
Because while City showed resilience to come back, those 13 chaotic minutes told a different story - one where, for the first time in a long time, the title might not be theirs to dictate.
Man City faces underlying issue
What makes this result more concerning isn't just the dropped points - it's the pattern.
- City have now dropped multiple points from winning positions in 2026
- Defensive lapses, particularly from set-pieces, continue to surface
- The absence of peak control - once their hallmark - is increasingly visible
This isn't the relentless, late-season surge City have built their legacy on.
Instead, it's a version that looks. human.
Could that one point still matter?
Football, though, has a way of rewriting narratives.
A late equaliser that feels like two points dropped today can sometimes become the point that defines a title win - as history has shown.
And with fixtures still to come, including tricky tests around cup commitments, the story isn't finished yet.
