There is a new order in the Premier League top-four race following results at the weekend which saw Arsenal earn a hard-fought win over Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United at home.
Whilst the Gunners remain in pole position to claim the final Champions League qualification place, their north London rivals have climbed above Manchester United - who weren't in action due to their game away at Liverpool being rearranged as Jurgen Klopp's side took on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup instead - to sit fifth heading into the penultimate month of the season.
Arsenal and Spurs have had identical returns of late, with them both winning two and losing once from three games to keep the top-four race bubbling over nicely.
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Of course, Mikel Arteta's side are in pole position to win this particular battle. 79 points is the magic number to do so without relying on slip-ups from elsewhere and that works out to eight wins and a draw from their remaining 10 games in the perfect scenario. It's certainly a great position to be in as the Gunners aim to regain their place at Europe's top table next season.
Although, there is one factor that may concern the Spaniard and that's a major improvement made by Spurs over the past month. Having avoided a potential nightmare scenario with a record of six defeats and two wins when they have had four or fewer days to prepare for a match, Antonio Conte's side remain three points behind Arsenal after beating Brighton and West Ham United in the space of four days.
With that said, the Lilywhites' biggest improvement has been their goal difference. Just under a month ago following a 1-0 defeat away at Burnley - three days removed from beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium - they had a goal difference of -1 whilst Arsenal's was +10.
But thanks to comprehensive wins over Leeds United and Everton, as well as victories by a two-goal margin over the past week, Spurs' goal difference now stands at 11. That is a 12-goal swing and in this same period the Gunners' goal difference has improved by three as three of their four wins have been by just a single goal.
Given that just like Arsenal, Spurs' focus for the remainder of the season is making sure they qualify for Europe after crashing out of the FA Cup cost them a chance to win a piece of silverware, the top-four race could be settled by the finest of margins and goal difference might just be a factor.
Of the teams in contention for Champions League qualification, only Wolves (31) have scored fewer goals than Arsenal (44) so far this season and you get the impression they'll need to respond to Tottenham's improvement in this department with a statement of their own within the next eight weeks.
The challenge for Arteta is to find a formula that gets the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe on the scoresheet in the same game, so that Arsenal's goal difference gets a positive boost. Otherwise, any potential three-goal swing in Spurs' favour would see them win the top-four race if both team finish the season level on points.
That, coupled with a reduced fixture list and Spurs apparently having the easier run-in on paper, means the sooner Arsenal can get firing, the better it will be for their hopes of finishing in the top-four come the end of the season.
