Bernardo Silva believes it should always have been expected that Arsenal would "man up" after three straight runner-up finishes and seriously challenge for the Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta's team know two wins from their final two matches of the season – at home to already-relegated Burnley and away to Crystal Palace – will secure the crown.

Silva and Manchester City did at least keep the pressure on with a 3-0 win over Palace on Wednesday, but they need to win their final two matches and hope for an unlikely favour from elsewhere.

The Opta supercomputer currently assigns Arsenal an 81.7% chance of clinching the title, with City's hopes of a dramatic turnaround rated at 18.3%.

A dramatic 3-3 draw with Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium at the start of May could prove costly for City, but Silva always expected Arsenal to put up more of a fight this term.

Having been edged out by City in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Arsenal were distant second-placed finishers behind runaway champions Liverpool in 2024-25, becoming only the second team to ever finish as Premier League runners-up in three consecutive campaigns.

The other instance saw Arsenal do so under Arsene Wenger from 1998-99 to 2000-01, before finally getting over the line at the fourth attempt in 2001-02.

"They've been growing and, well, it's a team that has been together for, what, five years now, so it's only natural that they would man up a little bit and start challenging for titles," Silva told The Athletic. "So, yeah, let's see what happens.

But when asked if Arsenal had been the chief threat to City throughout his glittering stint at the Etihad Stadium, which will end when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Portugal international said: "No, I'm not in love [with Arsenal]. 

"I do believe our main rivals were Liverpool, by far.

"I also believe, and I know this is very subjective, that if we were not in a transitional season and if we didn't make so many mistakes, we would have won this league.

"I don't say we would have won easily, but we would have won this league – so it's quite frustrating."

Arsenal have had their detractors this season, however, having been criticised for their cautious style of play and a perceived tendency to waste time from set-plays. 

And Silva does not believe their example should be followed by other teams. 

"You look at what has been happening with set pieces in the last two seasons, and it's a bit of a shame to see teams taking one minute over throw-ins, free kicks, goal kicks, corners," he said. 

"I wouldn't say that's the way the game should be going."

City face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday, as they look to win both domestic cups in a single season for the second time under Pep Guardiola, before turning their attention to Arsenal's meeting with Burnley on Monday.