Manchester City’s impressive form continued on Wednesday as they defeated Premier League leaders Arsenal 4-1 to seize control of the title race with just seven games remaining.
City’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was instrumental in the victory, scoring two goals to help his team close in on retaining their English crown. Arsenal, who held a two-point lead at the top of the table, have now failed to win in their last four games, effectively derailing their hopes of winning the league for the first time in 19 years.
City were dominant throughout the match, with the arrival of Erling Haaland bringing a new dimension to an already powerful team. Haaland’s record-breaking 33rd Premier League goal in a 38-game season was scored deep into stoppage time and took his tally in all competitions for the campaign to 49.
Haaland showcased his skills by setting up De Bruyne’s opening goal in the seventh minute with a sublime touch. Arsenal struggled to recover from the early setback and were fortunate not to concede more goals before half-time. The Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale made a hat-trick of saves to keep his team in the game and deny Haaland a goal.
However, John Stones’ first-half stoppage-time header from De Bruyne’s free-kick put City in a commanding position, and a VAR review confirmed the goal was legitimate. Although Ramsdale continued to keep Haaland at bay in the second half, De Bruyne scored his second goal of the game on 54 minutes after a well-placed pass from Haaland.
Arsenal’s defensive woes continued as they conceded 10 goals in their last four games. Rob Holding was the scapegoat once again for Arsenal’s defensive struggles as he was unable to replace the injured William Saliba. Holding scored Arsenal’s only goal in the 86th minute, but it was too little too late.
Despite the Arsenal response, City’s dominance in the match and the league is evident. They are closing in on a third consecutive Premier League title and a possible treble, with a meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals and a FA Cup final against local rivals Manchester United to follow.
Haaland added to City’s impressive performance by scoring his second goal and setting a new Premier League record with 33 goals in a season. He surpassed Mohamed Salah’s previous record of 32 Premier League goals in the 2017/18 season with virtually the last kick of the game.
The victory sees City move three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with a game in hand over their rivals. With only seven games left to play, it looks like Manchester City are on their way to another title.
