How Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United's plot to take down Man City spectacularly backfired and now puts THEM in the crosshairs, reveals MIKE KEEGAN

When Arsenal executive Tim Lewis slipped out of the directors’ box and avoided handshakes at the Etihad Stadium after John Stones’s injury-time equaliser robbed his side of a vital three points, he may well have been cursing Manchester City under his breath. On Monday, the results of City’s legal challenge to the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction rules landed in 20 inboxes across the top flight. Manchester City have won their legal case against the Premier League about sponsor deals City's rivals Arsenal were among the clubs who gave evidence in favour of the Premier League against them Cutting through the legal jargon, and there is a lot of it, the trio basically found that because money pumped into clubs from owners in the form of borrowings, often at low or no interest, is not subject to the same fair market value tests as commercial deals with third parties, the top-flight’s new and robust APT system is unjust. Following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United, and in the midst of City’s four-in-a-row run in the Premier League, Arsenal and others at places such as Liverpool and Manchester United decided to lobby. Sceptics will say this now opens the door for City and Newcastle to spend what they wish The case provides a major blow to the Premier League and its rules The Premier League’s case was that the shareholder exclusion permitted transparent investment by owners in clubs, was not discriminatory as it applied equally to all clubs, and treated shareholder loans and equity investment in the same way.