Manchester City took a major step towards winning the Premier League title on Sunday by beating Everton before seeing Arsenal lose against Brighton.

Former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira believes the physicality of Manchester City has been a decisive difference between Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

“What they (Arsenal) are missing is this physical presence,” Vieira said. “This kind of leadership where people can get at the back of players when they are not performing at the level that Arsenal expect.

“For me, they will have to build a team with more personality and more competitiveness. I think the Arsenal team, there is quality, there is no doubt about it. They are playing some really good football, but there is still a difference between them and Manchester City.

“When you look at Manchester City you look at the physical attributes of the players, the physicality. They are six foot three or six foot four, so it’s important for Arsenal and Mikel [Arteta] to identify what they are missing and try to improve that side of the game.”