Mikel Arteta finally released Arsenal from their defensive shackles, but it was ruthless Manchester City who wrestled control of the title race as the Gunners’ past slips came back to haunt them.After hitting the post not once but twice in the second half and being denied by a brilliant double save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, Arsenal can count themselves unlucky to go down to a defeat that leaves their hopes of a first title in 22 years hanging by a thread.City put the title race back in their hands with a 2-1 win over the GunnersGettyArteta’s men may have blown their best chance of winning the league since Arsenal last lifted the trophy 22 years agoAFPHaving seen their team attempt to methodically plot their way to glory, Arsenal fans should be asking where this type of fearless, front-footed performance has been as the season has reached the business end.The visitors recent record now reads one win in six games in all competitions, and that was a far from inspiring 1-0 victory at Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.However, if they had played like this in last weekend’s tension-ravaged 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth, maybe they would have more than a slender three-point lead over a City side who will surely go top by winning their game in hand at Burnley next Wednesday, live and exclusively on talkSPORT.Arsenal players lit a fire at the club’s London Colney training ground this week to rouse themselves for their biggest match of the season so far.Their game plan almost went up in smoke when the irrepressible Rayan Cherki broke the deadlock on 16 minutes with goal worthy of this potential title decider.The fleet-footed Frenchman skipped past Gabriel and Declan Rice before slotting calmly beyond Raya into his bottom right corner and then staring out the Arsenal fans in celebration.For City followers of a certain vintage the way in which Cherki glided with the ball was like watching fan favourite Georgi Kinkladze in his mid-1990s pomp.The game lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous two minutes later as City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s careless clearance was charged down by Kai Havertz to make it 1-1.Havertz was preferred by Arteta to big-money summer signing Viktor Gyokeres up front, which shows how little faith he has in the Swede.Germany international Havertz should have put Arsenal in front early in the second half after being played in by Martin Odegaard only for Donnarumma to make a sprawling save and then reacting quickly to take the sting out of Gabriel Martinelli’s follow-up effort which was cleared off the line by Nico Reilly.Cherki put City in front on 16 minutes with a sublime run and finishGettyArsenal responded straight away when Havertz netted as he tackled Donnarumma after the City goalkeeper dithered on the ballGettyThis goal from Haaland gave City the win – and potentially the Premier League titleGetty£63million signing Gyokeres was only brought on in the 84th minuteAFPArsenal have won just one of their last six in all competitionsEze then struck the outside of the post with a curling effort from the edge of the box, a fate that would later befall Gabriel from a deflected header while Havertz also missed a golden chance in stoppage time.On such moments big games can be won and lost and it was the previously anonymous Erling Haaland who dealt Arsenal the sucker punch on 65 minutes with a typically clinical finish from six yards at the end of a counter attack that started with a long throw from Donnarumma.‘Panic on the streets of London’ read a giant banner unfurled by delirious City fans as the full time whistle sounded.Water bottles emblazoned with the Arsenal emblem were on sale for £2 a pop outside the ground, but this was not the day when Arteta’s side bottled the title.It was games like Bournemouth and away at basement boys Wolves when they failed to win from 2-0 up that have led to their fate now being firmly in relentless City’s hands.Arteta defiant on Arsenal’s title chancesOf course, the Gunners boss is not giving up hope of winning the league with still just over a month until the final day of the season.Are they panicking in north London?GettyWhen I asked Arteta about his title chances, Arteta said: “There is so much still to play for, we know that. The players were already talking about it.”And his opposite number Guardiola is also wary that there are potentially more twists and turns ahead. When asked Guardiola if City were now the favourites, he responded: “Who’s top of the league?”Guardiola was reminded that City have a game in hand, to which he said: “You have to win. They give it [the win] before I play. I have three points already. “They give it to me the Premier League… I have to play.”There’s no doubt it’s advantage City in the title race