Arsenal’s pursuit of a first Premier League title since 2004 has reached the stage where emotion and evidence begin to diverge.
On the surface, recent results have injected doubt. A costly home defeat to Manchester United narrowed the margin at the top of the table and revived familiar questions about whether Mikel Arteta’s side can sustain form through the decisive phase of the season. The sense of fragility has been amplified by memories of previous near-misses, when late-season slips proved decisive.