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Manchester City's 4-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, which puts them in charge of the title race, dealt a fatal blow to Arsenal's Premier League aspirations.
The unstoppable Erling Haaland, who assisted both of Kevin De Bruyne's goals, ultimately scored the goal that his performance deserved by adding the fourth in stoppage time (90+5 minutes). De Bruyne scored two goals (Seven and 54th minutes) and assisted John Stones (45+1 minutes) on the other. Rob Holding scored for Arsenal in the dying moments (86th minute), but the deficit has shrunk to two points and, more importantly, City still has two games remaining. The treble will now be discussed more and more. Arsenal's first loss since February coincides with their fourth straight game without a victory. The three consecutive draws by Arsenal had shifted the tide back in Manchester City's favour, and the home supporters appeared to see an opening right away. Haaland was a difficult opponent for holding throughout, and it was crucial to the opening goal. As Thomas Partey was unable to follow De Bruyne's run through the defensive line because the striker had held off the centre back, the Belgian had time to find the far corner of the goal. It seemed simple. Not at all. De Bruyne maintained the calmest composure of them all throughout the stress. The scoreline read 1-0 in a matter of just seven minutes. He frequently spotted the opening between the pushing midfield and the defensive backs of Arsenal. Haaland had space to run into and delivered one vicious stroke of the bouncing ball, but Ramsdale was able to make a save since he was unable to connect cleanly with his other two attempts. Guardiola would have thought his team deserved more than a one-goal lead at halftime, and they duly scored their second goal late in the half as Arsenal's attacking danger appeared to be more of a rumour than a reality. Stones was hit by a free-kick from De Bruyne. It looked offside. Ben White, however, was playing his fellow England international onside with his foot. Played the exuberant celebration scenes as Man City doubled the lead in 45+1 minutes. Arsenal needed something unexpected to occur at that point. When Ruben Dias looked to kick out at White at the corner flag, it almost happened. Just a reservation. Even the dependable Arsenal players were unsettled by the change of ends; there was no improvement. Only Ramsdale was able to stop Haaland's bullying of Gabriel. The striker then provided De Bruyne with his second after snatching an errant pass from Martin Odegaard in the 54th minute. Even though Holding's excellent finish cut the deficit to two late in the game during the 86th minute, there was little chance of a comeback as the game had become a procession. Those who are still anticipating a title race will be worried that the rest of the season will not unfold in the same manner. Haaland scored a goal in the stoppage time to seal a massive win for Manchester City. The following Super Sunday, Manchester City takes on Fulham. The following Tuesday, Arsenal hosts London rivals Chelsea. Earlier, Liverpool climbed up to sixth position in the points table with a 2-1 win over West Ham United at The London Stadium. Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring, giving the advantage to West Ham United in the 12th minute. But striker Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool an equaliser just six minutes later. Joel Matip scored the deciding goal for Liverpool in the 67th minute. Liverpool is in the sixth position in the points table, with 15 wins, eight draws and nine losses in 32 matches. They have a total of 53 points. West Ham is in the 14th position, with only nine wins in 32 matches, seven draws and 16 losses. They have a total of 34 points. On Super Sunday, Liverpool hosts Tottenham at Anfield, while West Ham travels to Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace on Saturday. In the other match on Wednesday, Chelsea's season woes continued as they crashed to a 0-2 defeat to Brentford at their home venue of Stamford Bridge. Cesar Azpilicueta gave Brentford the lead with an unfortunate own goal. A Brentford player found the net for the first time in the match in the 78th minute, with Bryan Mbeumo being the scorer. These two goals were enough to sink multiple-time champions to another humiliating defeat. Chelsea is in the 11th position in the table, with 10 wins, nine draws and 13 losses in the 32 matches, with a total of 39 points. Brentford is in the ninth position, with 11 wins, 14 draws and eight losses in their 33 matches, with a total of 47 points. On Tuesday, Chelsea will play Arsenal, while Brentford will visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday. (ANI)
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