Manchester City are on the brink of retaining the Premier League title after Arsenal fell to a shock 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav, and Pervis Estupinan scored in the second half at the Emirates Stadium to devastate Mikel Arteta’s team.

Second-placed Arsenal trails City by four points, and a loss for the Gunners against Nottingham Forest on Saturday would give Pep Guardiola’s squad their fifth title in six seasons.

City’s 3-0 victory over Everton earlier on Sunday, fueled by Ilkay Gundogan’s brace and Erling Haaland’s latest goal, brought them within striking distance of the title, and Arsenal’s loss makes it almost certain that the trophy will remain in Manchester.

Even if Arsenal defeats Forest, City will be champions for a third consecutive season if they defeat Chelsea on May 21 at the Etihad Stadium.

City has three games remaining, including trips to Chelsea, Brighton, and Brentford, while Arsenal has only a home match against Wolves following their trip to Forest.

Arsenal’s young squad choked away their opportunity to win their first championship since 2004 as City sped towards the finish line.

Arsenal’s recent four-game winless streak, which included a 4-1 loss at City, allowed their rivals to seize first place, which they have exploited with ruthlessness.

Despite the fact that Arsenal’s unexpected title challenge appears doomed to fail, the north Londoners’ season has been incredibly encouraging after more than a decade of underachievement.

There is no shame in finishing second to a team of City’s calibre, although Arteta will be disappointed they were unable to maintain the pace after leading the table for long stretches.

Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton avenged a 5-1 home loss to struggling Everton on Monday with a dynamic performance that preyed on the anxiety coursing through Arsenal’s players and fans.

Early on, Brighton posed a threat on the counter after Aaron Ramsdale made a spectacular save on Enciso’s rising shot.

Martin Odegaard, captain of Arsenal, had scored five goals in his previous five games, and he came close to scoring a sixth with a stinging shot that just missed the goal.

The Gunners suffered a setback when Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli was forced off with an injury after Moises Caicedo’s challenge.

Gabriel Jesus’s shot from a tight angle was saved by Jason Steele, while Leandro Trossard came close to scoring against his former club with an effort that hit the top of the crossbar.

Arsenal had scored at least three goals in each of their previous six home league games, but they were unable to advance against a well-organized Brighton side.

Both Bukayo Saka and Odegaard came close late in the first half with powerful shots that narrowly missed the goal.

Enciso scored the game-winning goal in the 51st minute to give Brighton the victory.

Estupinan’s initial cross was blocked, but he redirected the rebound to Enciso, who scored while Arsenal unsuccessfully appealed for a foul against Jakub Kiwior.

Arteta substituted Reiss Nelson, and the winger nearly scored an equaliser with a shot that was inches wide.

In the 86th minute, however, Undav scored Brighton’s second goal after Trossard carelessly lost possession, allowing the forward to loft a deft lob over Ramsdale.

After Ramsdale parried Undav’s shot late in stoppage time, Estupinan tapped in the rebound to send Arsenal fans streaming for the exits.