Premier League title race tie-breakers for if Arsenal finish on same points as Man City

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Arsenal could lose ground in the race for the Premier League title after their defeat to Bournemouth as Manchester City remain hot on their heels

Arsenal are trying to fend off Manchester City in the Premier League title race(Image: Getty)

Everything you need to know if Arsenal finish this Premier League season level on points with Manchester City

1. Shrinking Lead: Arsenal's grip on the Premier League's top spot has weakened following a surprising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. This setback leaves the Gunners open as the season enters its final stretch with Manchester City loitering.
2. City's Path: City currently find themselves nine points adrift but hold two critical games in hand to close that gap. If Pep Guardiola's side wins those fixtures and defeats Arsenal in their upcoming April meeting, they could potentially move level on points.
3. Initial Tie-Breaker: Goal difference serves as the primary method for separating two teams that finish the domestic campaign with the exact same point total. This figure is determined by subtracting the total number of goals a team has conceded from those they have scored.
4. Manchester Precedent: City remains the only club in the history of the Premier League to have secured the trophy via the goal difference metric. Their 2012 triumph saw them edge out Manchester United after Sergio Aguero's legendary late strike against QPR.
5. Scoring Tallies: The league turns to goals scored as the second tie-breaker if the goal difference between the two title contenders is also identical. Arsenal previously benefitted from this rule to beat Liverpool to the title during the famous conclusion of the 1989 season.
6. Direct Encounters: Head-to-head points become the next deciding factor if the teams cannot be separated by their overall seasonal scoring records. Following a 1-1 draw at the Emirates earlier this term, the result of the upcoming match at the Etihad will be vital for this calculation.
7. Away Performance: The fourth tie-breaking criterion focuses on which side scored the most away goals in matches between the two clubs.
8. Identical Records: The Premier League could enter a rare state of total deadlock if the upcoming match ends 1-1 and all other statistical categories are mirrored. In this highly unlikely event, the clubs would be equal across every standard metric used to determine a champion.
9. Neutral Showdown: A one-off playoff match would then be scheduled at a neutral venue if the teams remain level after every other tie-breaker is exhausted. The Premier League board would be responsible for arranging this historic winner-takes-all fixture to decide the season's outcome.
10. Final Resolution: Any potential play-off match would feature 30 minutes of extra time if the score remains level after the initial 90 minutes of play. A penalty shootout would then be used as the ultimate decider to crown the Premier League champion.
11. READ MORE: Arsenal heartbreak, Spurs relegated – Premier League supercomputer predicts final outcomes