Jeremy Doku is under no illusions as to the importance of Manchester City's meeting with Arsenal next week, describing it as a title decider in the aftermath of Saturday's win over Chelsea.

Doku joined Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge as City blew Chelsea away in the second half, following a tense first 45 minutes.

That victory moved City within six points of leaders Arsenal, who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's team still have a game in hand on the Gunners, but before that, the top two will face off in a seismic clash at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday.

And Doku did not shy away from the importance of that contest when speaking to Sky Sports after the Chelsea game. 

"First of all, we need to recover now, and then we'll analyse Arsenal again," Doku said. "I'll look at what my task will be, and their weaknesses and their strengths.

"Then we'll believe; we did it already. They will come with hunger; they don't want to just give it to us, so we have to take it. Trust me, we'll be well-prepared."

Asked if City's next game was a title decider, Doku said: "I think so, yeah. There are six or seven games left. If you win this game, it's a big punch towards them.

"If we lose, it's in their hands, and we have to wait for them to lose. But if we win, it's in our hands. I would prefer to have it in my hands!"

Across the last five Premier League seasons (since 2021-22), when playing within their last 10 games of those campaigns, City have only lost once in 43 matches, winning 32 times (D10).

And City have lost just one of their last 19 Premier League games (W12 D6) and are unbeaten in their last nine (W6 D3), their joint-longest unbeaten streak of 2025-26.

But Doku stressed that a win at Stamford Bridge was not a given for Guardiola's men, adding: "We knew there was a lot of pressure before this game, against a good opponent.

"The first half was not easy. They were well-organised, and we knew we had to keep on going.

"We started the second half very well, very sharp. After the first goal, the game was more open, and we did well. I'm also happy we didn't concede.

"I watched the Arsenal game, and when I saw them lose, I saw that the Premier League is really unpredictable. 

"We were also focused on our own game. Winning here is not a given, so the fact we did it today is exceptional."