Louis Saha has seen enough. After one wild Premier League weekend, the former Manchester United and France striker is nailing his colours to the mast: Manchester City are, in his eyes, the strongest team in the title race.
They certainly played like it.
City turn the screw
At the Etihad, Enzo Maresca’s side tore into Sunderland in a breathless 5-3 win that said as much about their attacking depth as it did about their nerve. They walk into the international break three points clear at the top, armed with momentum and a growing sense of inevitability.
This was not a routine home stroll. Brian Brobbey silenced the stadium with a stunning hat-trick for the visitors, repeatedly dragging Sunderland back into a contest that should have been dead long before the final whistle. Each time he struck, City were asked the same question: how much do you really want this title?
The answer came from all over the pitch.
Antoine Semenyo set the tone, leading the line with a decisive brace that underlined his growing importance under Maresca. Enzo Fernandez, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland each added their names to the scoresheet, turning a chaotic afternoon into a statement victory. Five goals, five different scorers. One clear message.
City bent, but they never broke. And that resilience, combined with the sheer volume of attacking options, is exactly what has Saha convinced.
“I think everyone can say that Arsenal had the best momentum even if they lost it towards the end [of last season],” he told Sky Sports, framing the shift. “I think now City understood their mistakes, even if they still have young players coming through, they have this experience.
The combination of strength and creativity is enormous in midfield so I do think they are the strongest one. On the bench as well because Jeremy Doku is coming back, it’s frightening.”
That bench is what terrifies rivals. Even with young players still bedding in, Maresca can look over his shoulder and see fresh pace, fresh invention, fresh goals. The champions are starting to look like themselves again.
Arsenal floored at the Amex
City’s surge came just 24 hours after Arsenal’s stumble turned into a full-blown collapse.
At a raucous Amex Stadium, the Gunners were taken apart 3-0 by Brighton in what ranks as the biggest shock of the Premier League season so far. This was not a smash-and-grab. It was a dismantling.
Pascal Gross struck in the first half to jolt Arsenal out of their rhythm. Charalampos Kostoulas followed up before the interval, and suddenly a title challenger looked rattled, second to loose balls, short of ideas and stripped of their usual composure.
Any notion of a fightback died on the hour. Chema Andres rose to head home Brighton’s third, the goal that turned a bad day into a brutal one. From there, it was damage limitation for Arsenal, the away end watching a miserable afternoon unfold with a mix of disbelief and resignation.
While City were sharing the goals around and flexing their attacking depth, Arsenal were chasing shadows on the south coast. The contrast could hardly have been sharper.
A title race at a crossroads
The timing of the international break could not be more different for the two contenders.
For Maresca and City, it arrives with a three-point cushion and a dressing room buzzing from an eight-goal thriller. They look refreshed, dangerous and increasingly sure of themselves. They also know what awaits them next.
Their first game back? A trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. It is the kind of fixture that exposes pretenders and crowns the real thing. City travel there defending a flawless away record, a perfect run on the road that now doubles as a test of their title credentials.
For Arsenal, the pause is less a breather and more a necessary reset. They resume their campaign against Leeds in three weeks, fully aware that another slip could be catastrophic. Drop more points, and City might not just stretch the gap – they could start to disappear over the horizon.
The margins at the top are thin, the mood swing enormous. One weekend, one heavy defeat, one five-goal show, and the narrative tilts.
Saha has made his call. City, with their power in midfield, their frightening bench and their growing lead, are the team to beat.
When the league restarts, we find out if Arsenal still have the stomach – and the quality – to prove him wrong.
