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Calling the Premier League title race competitive would be a massive understatement.
Manchester City's 2–1 victory against Arsenal on Sunday has handed Pep Guardiola's squad the opportunity to draw level with the table-topping Gunners on points. Should both clubs win every one of their remaining matches, they would each conclude the campaign on 85 points.
In that scenario, exactly how would the Premier League champion be determined?
If Arsenal and Man City Are Tied on Points
The first tiebreaker used to separate two clubs level on points is goal difference, calculated by subtracting total goals conceded from total goals scored.
Currently, Arsenal hold a slim edge in this category, sitting at +37 compared to City's +36. With only a handful of fixtures left, it is entirely possible that the two title contenders will end the season level in this column as well.
Should that occur, the next tiebreaker comes into play.
If Arsenal and Man City Are Tied on Goal Difference
If both clubs are deadlocked on both points and goal difference, total goals scored becomes the deciding factor in determining who sits at the summit.
Remarkably, Arsenal and City are extremely close in this metric as well. The Citizens have found the net 65 times across 32 matches, placing them just two ahead of their rivals, who have scored 63 goals in 33 appearances.
In the unlikely scenario that the two clubs require yet another tiebreaker, things become considerably more precise.
If Arsenal and Man City Are Still Tied
The head-to-head record between the two clubs would then serve as the next criterion to determine who lifts the trophy.
With both meetings now completed this season, there is a clear leader in this department, and that distinction belongs to City. Following a 1–1 stalemate back in September, Guardiola's men seized the advantage with a 2–1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Away goals from those head-to-head encounters would be the subsequent factor examined, though it is evident that will not be required in this season's title battle, nor would the extreme measure of a neutral-venue playoff between Arsenal and City that would have been enforced had the two sides remained inseparable.
A playoff has never once been required to separate two clubs throughout the entire history of the Premier League.