Manchester: Manchester City tightened the Premier League title race with a commanding 3-0 victory over Fulham, cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top to just three points.
Pep Guardiola’s side delivered a clinical first-half performance at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, with Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland all finding the net before the break to keep the pressure firmly on the league leaders.
Arsenal still have a game in hand, but City’s back-to-back wins have dramatically shifted the momentum in the title race. The two sides are yet to meet at the Etihad later this season, ensuring the battle for the crown remains wide open.
Semenyo, who has hit five goals in eight matches since his big-money move from Bournemouth, opened the scoring in the 24th minute. O’Reilly doubled the advantage six minutes later before Haaland put the contest beyond doubt in the 39th minute.
“We’ve put the pressure back on Arsenal,” Semenyo said. “There are 12 games left and we need to keep pushing.”
Liverpool Revive Champions League Push
Liverpool bounced back strongly from their weekend defeat to City with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Sunderland.
Virgil van Dijk’s towering header in the 61st minute proved decisive against a Sunderland side that had been unbeaten at home this season. The victory lifted the defending champions to sixth place.
Liverpool are now just two points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and three adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, reigniting hopes of securing Champions League qualification.
“These three points feel very big,” Van Dijk said. “But we still have a long way to go and need consistency.”
Villa Stay in the Conversation
Aston Villa kept their faint title hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win over Brighton at Villa Park.
Unai Emery’s men had struggled in recent weeks, winning just once in their previous five league games. However, a late own goal by Jack Hinshelwood in the 86th minute secured a crucial three points.
Villa remain third, six points behind Arsenal, and could yet influence the destiny of the title race. “It was a difficult match and we needed to win to recover confidence,” Emery said.
Burnley Stage Dramatic Comeback
At the bottom of the table, Burnley produced one of the performances of the night, coming from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 away from home.
Palace’s record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice on his home debut, but Burnley responded through Hannibal Mejbri and Jaidon Anthony before halftime. An own goal from Jefferson Lerma in first-half stoppage time completed a remarkable turnaround.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s goalless draw against bottom-placed Wolves leaves them only three points clear of the relegation zone.
The survival battle remains intense, with just six points separating Leeds in 15th from West Ham in 18th.
With 12 games remaining and key head-to-head clashes still to come, both the title race and relegation fight promise a thrilling run-in to the Premier League season.
Source: ESPN, Sportsnet, Premier League
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