Manchester City’s title bid was left in tatters after a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened West Ham left them nine points behind leaders Arsenal.
Just three days after their Champions League dreams were shattered by a 3-0 defeat at Real Madrid, a second part of what until not long ago was a potential quadruple also went up in smoke.
It was a former Gunners player, Konstantinos Mavropanos, who did the damage with West Ham’s equaliser after Bernardo Silva had given City the lead.
Pep Guardiola had admitted the title race would be “over” if his side dropped points, while just 20 minutes before kick-off at the London Stadium, Arsenal had snatched two late goals to beat Everton.
It was also a big night at the other end of the pitch, with a point lifting West Ham out of the relegation zone for the first time since December.
Guardiola was watching from the stands as he served a touchline ban for the booking he received at Newcastle last weekend.
But he was quickly in the ear of assistant Pep Lijnders by telephone, despite his side enjoying a whopping 93 per cent of possession during the first 10 minutes, a surreally one-sided period during which they completed 94 passes to West Ham’s seven.
They had nothing to show for it, though, with Erling Haaland fluffing a header at the far post from Rayan Ait Nouri’s cross.
Haaland has scored 11 times against West Ham, more than any other team, but not even a trip to his favourite opposition could end his recent shaky spell of just three goals in his last 12 Premier League matches.
Nevertheless, City took the lead in the 31st minute when Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush fed Silva down the left.
The Portuguese playmaker appeared to be attempting to loft the ball towards Haaland, but instead his miscued cross turned into a superb, delicate chip over stunned Hammers goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
However, the lead lasted just four minutes before Jarrod Bowen swung in West Ham’s first corner of the match.
City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma came out to punch the ball clear but missed it completely, leaving Mavropanos with a free header.
The visitors should have gone in ahead at half-time when Haaland squared the ball for Semenyo, but the Ghanaian dragged his effort wide.
Marmoush skewed another shot across goal and wide before he was replaced on the hour by Rayan Cherki with Guardiola, racking up quite a phone bill, also sending on Jeremy Doku.
Cherki’s first touch almost produced a goal from Haaland, but the Norwegian’s low drive was turned around a post by Hermansen.
Haaland’s frustrating evening was summed up when Doku found him in front of goal, 12 yards out, with the striker totally miscuing his first-time shot.
Hermansen then tipped a Tijjani Reijnders effort and Marc Guehi skied a late chance as West Ham held out to do their London neighbours, and themselves, a massive favour.
