X reacts to the surprising title fight drama as Arsenal and Man City fight for victory

Arsenal and Manchester City were forced to sweat on Saturday afternoon, although both secured victory to keep pace with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Last season's top two teams both fell behind in favorable home games in the 3pm BST kick-off period, under increased pressure following Liverpool's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier in the day.

Arsenal secured a 3-1 win over newly promoted Southampton to rival the specter of Leicester City last weekend, while Man City could only manage a 3-2 win over brave Fulham as Erling Haaland once again found himself wanting pulled.

There was little to think about in Arsenal's frustrating first half at the Emirates Stadium, but the same cannot be said for the first 45 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.

Former Manchester United midfielder Andras Pereira gave Fulham a surprise lead midway through the first half. But it was Raul Jimenez's pass that deserved the celebration.

But within two minutes of the second half, Man City had done what Man City does.

Mateo Kovacic's deflected shot brought the hosts level and the Croatian scored a rare brace after the restart to turn the game on its head – all while the score was still goalless at the Emirates.

The Emirates residents may not have been aware of City's turnaround, but they were certainly aware that their team was behind.

Ten minutes after the break, Southampton took the lead with one of their first forays into Arsenal territory, with Cameron Archer confidently scoring after a quick counter-attack.

Could Southampton get their first win of the Premier League season? At Arsenal of all places?

No. No, they couldn't.

Within three minutes the Gunners had equalized and it was Kai Havertz's now ruthless finishing that gave them the equaliser.

Southampton's hopes of picking up at least one invaluable point were dashed before the 70-minute mark and it was substitute Gabriel Martinelli who caused a stir in north London after converting Bukayo Saka's cross.

However, two assists apparently did not satisfy Saka. The winger decided to get into the game himself and capitalized on a Southampton mistake to secure a nervy win over the surprisingly resilient Saints.

Over at the Etihad, Man City appeared to be on course for victory after Jeremy Doku scored a third, but Rodrigo Muniz ensured a nervy end to the game with his 88th-minute strike.

Luckily for Pep Guardiola's side, their two-game winning streak in the Premier League was almost over.

While Arsenal and Man City have managed to avoid dropping points in the title fight, it is worth noting that neither team is top of the table ahead of the October international break.

And Liverpool fans will surely remember it.