A bookmaker has paid out on Arsenal to win the Premier League. Man City is not ready to concede yet

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Over the weekend a bookmaker said it was already paying out on Arsenal winning the Premier League this season.

Manchester City, however, is not ready to concede defeat just yet.

Sunday's dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool closed the gap between the top two teams to six points. If second-place City beats Fulham at home on Wednesday, it will be just three points behind Arsenal, which travels to in-form Brentford a day later.

The title, of course, is Arsenal's to lose with 13 rounds to go, but with the top two still to play each other at City's Etihad Stadium, it is premature to declare Mikel Arteta's team champion.

“We have them at home although, of course, we have to beat them," City manager Pep Guardiola said. “Thirteen games in the Premier League from my experience is a lot of time.

“All we can do is be brave. Be in the neck of Arsenal. If they slip or make something, use it.”

City has form when it comes to chasing down an Arsenal lead. In back-to-back seasons in 2023 and '24, Guardiola's team clawed back Arsenal to win the title.

But this City team is different. It has lacked the consistency of the squads that dominated English soccer for the best part of a decade under Guardiola, and this season alone has lost five times in the league.

Arsenal has changed as well. Arteta has assembled arguably the strongest squad in the league, with depth in every position.

On Saturday he sent on $85 million striker Viktor Gyokeres as a second-half substitute against Sunderland and the Sweden international scored two goals in a 3-0 win.

After that victory, an Ireland-based oddsmaker said it was paying out on Arsenal.

But Arteta isn't buying into the suggestion the title is his after three straight years as runner-up, saying “we still have to win so many games to achieve what we want.”

Tottenham hosts Newcastle on Tuesday and both teams are aiming to turn their form around. Spurs haven't won a league game in 2026 and are now just six points off the relegation zone. Newcastle has lost its last three in the league, and won just one in eight in all competitions.

West Ham has boosted its survival hopes with three wins from its last four. It hosts in-form Manchester United on Tuesday.

Crysencio Summerville is firing West Ham's survival push with five goals in as many games. Bryan Mbeumo has scored three in four for United since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Liverpool will miss Dominik Szoboszlai, who was sent off late against Man City, and Tottenham's Cristian Romero was also red-carded against Man United. Spurs' injury problems grew when Destiny Udogie was forced off in the same match. Arsenal was without the injured Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard against Sunderland.

Tottenham coach Thomas Frank is coming under increasing pressure as his team's form continues to deteriorate. Its only wins in 2026 have come in the Champions League. Despite advancing to the round of 16 in European club soccer's top competition, Spurs' domestic form is a concern.

Frank is searching for his first league win since Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Dec. 28.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi, left, celebrates scoring with Declan Rice during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Sunderland in London, Saturday Feb. 7, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Arsenal's Viktor Gyoekeres reacts after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Sunderland in London, England, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 9, 2026--

Ripjar, the AI-native provider of smarter screening solutions, has appointed Matt Mills as Chief Executive Officer to lead the company’s next stage of growth. Ripjar enables financial institutions and enterprises to transform anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and combat financial crime through more accurate and efficient customer screening and an integrated, dynamic view of risk.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205214637/en/

Matt Mills brings over fifteen years of experience scaling high‑growth technology companies in banking, payments, automation and security. Previously, he spent a decade at Featurespace as Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager, where he helped grow the organisation from twelve to more than four hundred employees before the company’s acquisition by Visa in 2024. Matt also led Innovation, Sales and Partnerships for Aurasma, later acquired by HP, where he expanded the business to over 10,000 commercial customers and partners during his three‑year tenure.

Illicit proceeds from criminal activity are estimated to account for 2-5% of global GDP, yet less than 1% of total funds from financial crime are seized or frozen by law enforcement agencies, according to the World Economic Forum. Regulatory scrutiny is also intensifying, driven in part by the roll out of the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), which heightens the risk of regulatory penalties for companies that transact with financial criminals. This increased oversight places pressure on financial institutions and enterprises to screen customers against sanctions, politically exposed persons (PEPs) and other watchlists efficiently and with pinpoint accuracy.

Founded by former members of the UK Intelligence Services in 2013, Ripjar enables customers to deploy smarter screening in one enterprise-ready platform, built on National Security grade technology with specialised, explainable AI. Its data agnostic approach simplifies integration and powers a dynamic and customer-specific view of regulatory and reputational risk. Ripjar enables smarter screening for more than 200 businesses worldwide, including tier 1 banks and large corporations. Results include a 99% reduction in data requiring manual review with a 5% increase in risk identified.

Matt’s appointment follows Ripjar’s recognition in the Chartis RiskTech100 2026 Winners list, the industry’s most authoritative benchmark of the world’s top risk technology providers, and the completion of a follow-on majority investment from Long Ridge Equity Partners in November 2024.

Matt Mills said, “I have been an admirer of Ripjar and its important work across screening and intelligence for some time. Ripjar has consistently excelled at protecting countries, banks and corporate entities. Financial institutions and enterprises are the first line of defence against financial crime. Our screening technology empowers them to make smarter decisions that defend their businesses and disrupt the crime economy.”

“Matt brings a powerful combination of deep domain expertise and a proven track record of leading and scaling innovative, high-growth businesses,” said Jason Melton, Partner at Long Ridge, the majority owner of Ripjar. “Mills will accelerate Ripjar’s go-to-market strategy and global expansion to meet increasing market demand for smarter, more efficient customer screening solutions. We’re excited to welcome him onboard.”

About Ripjar:

Founded in 2013, Ripjar enables financial institutions and enterprises to transform anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and combat financial crime with smarter customer screening and an integrated, dynamic view of risk.

Built on National Security grade technology, Ripjar improves the accuracy and efficiency of screening operations in one enterprise-ready platform with specialised, explainable AI. Its platform is proven to address large-scale challenges and is trusted by financial services and enterprise organisations of all sizes. Ripjar serves more than 200 businesses, including tier 1 banks and large corporations around the world.

The company was founded by former members of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and operates globally with headquarters in the UK.

For more information, visit ripjar.com and follow @Ripjar on LinkedIn.

Matt Mills, CEO, Ripjar