Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest while Arsenal reclaimed top spot in the Premier League after they fought back to secure a 4-2 victory at Aston Villa.

Just three days after surrendering the top spot to City with a 3-1 loss, Arsenal responded in impressive fashion to move two points ahead of the champions.

With only minutes remaining at Villa Park, Mikel Arteta’s squad risked losing their bid to win the championship for the first time since 2004.

Arsenal trailed twice due to goals scored by Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho, but Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko brought them level.

Emiliano Martinez inadvertently deflected Jorginho’s shot into his own net after it hit the crossbar late in the second half of stoppage time, thereby assisting Arsenal.

Gabriel Martinelli completed Arsenal’s remarkable comeback by tapping the ball into an empty net in the final seconds after Villa’s Javi Martinez was caught upfield during a corner kick.

“We are back with more belief than before because you have to turn performances into results,” Arteta said.

“The team showed a lot of emotional qualities that are needed. I’m really happy.”

Arsenal’s first victory in five games across all competitions will restore their confidence in their ability to beat City to the title.

The Gunners, who have a game in hand over the champions, received a tremendous boost from their title rivals’ misstep just hours later.

Four minutes before halftime, Bernardo Silva gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead by taking Jack Grealish’s pass in stride and rifling a 20-yard shot past Keylor Navas.

The tension increased as City searched for a second goal, and Guardiola was cautioned for roughing up the fourth official after Erling Haaland’s penalty appeal following Joe Worrall’s challenge was denied.

Photo by EPA/Andrew Yates