The Premier League title race is still Arsenal’s to lose. That is not intended as a slight on Manchester City or Aston Villa, both of whom remain firmly in contention and would deserve enormous credit if they manage to overhaul the leaders. Arsenal still hold a healthy advantage and control their own destiny.

Yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the sense that if Arsenal fall short this season, the reasons will be found closer to home than anywhere else. The warning signs are not about points totals alone. They are about psychology, composure and a creeping self doubt that has surfaced at familiar moments.

Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United was damaging beyond the immediate loss of points. It extended Arsenal’s Premier League winless run to three matches and cut their lead at the summit to four points. More significantly, it reopened emotional wounds within a fanbase shaped by near misses and second place finishes.

This was not just a defeat. It was a reminder of past collapses, of moments when control slipped unexpectedly and belief drained from the stands. For a club still trying to turn progress into silverware, that psychological weight matters.

The result felt all the more perplexing given what Arsenal had produced only days earlier. In midweek, Mikel Arteta’s side delivered a statement performance in Europe, beating Inter 3-1 at the San Siro with a rotated team. It was a display of authority, maturity and control that screamed elite pedigree.

By contrast, the Premier League version of Arsenal currently looks tense and fragile. There is a growing sense of two different identities. In Europe and domestic cups, Arsenal play with freedom and clarity. In the league, they look burdened by expectation.

Manchester United arrived at the Emirates Stadium with little external pressure. Fresh from a derby victory and with a full week to prepare, they played like a team with nothing to lose. Arsenal, by contrast, played like a team aware of what failure might mean.

After the match, Mikel Arteta did not attempt to disguise his frustration. “I think to discriminate between competitions is very difficult, for me at least, to separate individual performances of the players and the collective one,” he said. “But it’s a reality that we haven’t won in three games in the Premier League and we have to pick up points now.”

His words captured the contradiction at the heart of Arsenal’s season. The performances exist. The quality exists. But translating that into consistent league results remains an unresolved challenge.

Ironically, Arsenal began the match superbly. The own goal forced from Lisandro Martinez was the reward for an opening 20 minutes of dominance. The tempo was high, the pressing sharp, the crowd fully engaged.

Then, almost immediately, the unease crept in. Passing became cautious. Decisions slowed. A disastrous back pass from Martin Zubimendi gifted United their equaliser and shifted the momentum entirely.

Arteta admitted the change was visible. “There were three or four errors, to be fair, that were very unusual today in the game,” he said. “Sometimes you get punished and sometimes not, and today we got punished.”

They were punished again after the break, with two outstanding strikes from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha swinging the match decisively in United’s favour.

A flurry of changes, including a quadruple substitution before the hour mark, failed to restore control. One substitute, Mikel Merino, did briefly offer hope by making it 2-2, once again from a set piece.

Set plays have become Arsenal’s lifeline. They remain among the most dangerous teams in the league from dead balls, but the reliance is increasingly stark. In open play, fluency is hard to find.

This is not an isolated issue. Across the front line, form is inconsistent. Even trusted figures such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are operating below their usual standards. Arsenal are creating chances, but not with the authority of a side playing without fear.

It would be wrong to suggest the title race has swung dramatically. Neither Manchester City nor Aston Villa have yet shown relentless consistency. But Arsenal’s recent run has exposed a vulnerability that rivals will be eager to exploit.

More concerning is the emotional response inside the stadium. As the game wore on, tension replaced noise. Anxiety spread from pitch to stands and back again, creating a self sustaining loop that drained energy from the performance.

There were boos at full time. Not out of hostility, but out of hurt. Supporters are not doubting the ability of this team. They are fearing a familiar ending.

Expectation and fear are an unforgiving combination. Arsenal’s supporters often seem less convinced of their team’s title credentials than neutral observers. Three consecutive second place finishes have left scars that are not easily erased.

Perhaps this defeat marks the lowest point of the wobble. Perhaps it becomes the moment when Mikel Arteta helps his players confront that fear rather than carry it. There is still time for this to be the turning point where Arsenal let go of anxiety and seize control of the narrative.

Just days earlier, Arsenal were being discussed as one of the most impressive teams in Europe. This remains only their third league defeat of the season. There is no crisis in terms of results or squad depth.

But there may be a crisis of confidence. And with January not yet over, the real pressure still lies ahead. March, April and May are when titles are won and lost.

In previous seasons, Arsenal could point to injuries, refereeing decisions or an unstoppable Manchester City as mitigating factors. This time, with a deep and talented squad, those explanations carry less weight.

If Arsenal fail to lift the Premier League trophy this season, the conclusion will be unavoidable. The deciding factor will not have been their rivals. It will have been themselves.