Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, trimming the gap at the top of the table to two points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Goals from Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and Savinho ensured Pep Guardiola’s side did all they could on a night when City played with authority and control to lift them onto 77 points, while Arsenal have 79, with two games remaining for each.
While City still need Arsenal to squander points in one of their remaining matches, Guardiola’s men showed no sign of resignation, and Semenyo put them ahead in the 32nd minute when Phil Foden’s crafty back-heel set him up to slot a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Marmoush doubled City’s lead in the 40th minute, when Foden’s touch on a cross landed at the Egyptian’s feet and he shot on the turn back into the far corner. It marked the first time the seldom-used Foden has provided multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League game in his career.
Savinho added a third in the 84th minute when he latched onto a through ball from Rayan Cherki and finished with a left-footed shot from the edge of the six-yard box.
Had City lost or drawn against Palace on Wednesday, Arsenal would have clinched their first league title in 22 years with a victory over already-relegated Burnley on Monday.
‘MASSIVE GAME’
“It’s a massive game, must-win, so we are really happy,” Foden said.
“The aim is to keep pushing and keep (Arsenal) on their toes,” he added. “We’ve seen a lot of things can happen on the final day. I’ve experienced it many times when the game doesn’t go your way. We just have to keep pushing and doing our part.”
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, Guardiola made six changes to his team, including resting his league-leading scorer Erling Haaland for the night.
But if his selections initially raised eyebrows, City cruised through much of the match, playing with such ease that the contest felt effectively decided well before the final whistle.
City had 72% possession and 15 shots to Palace’s six.
Josko Gvardiol, back in the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a tibial fracture in early January, thought he had given City a three-goal cushion late in the first half, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made a brilliant save, stretching to swat Gvardiol’s header out of danger.
City’s victory continued an unbeaten league run that stretches back to mid-January and that has breathed life into a title race that for much of the season felt like Arsenal had it in the bag.
“Today City were much better than we were, were too good for us,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose side are 15th on 44 points, said. “If you want to get the point, or even more, here at Etihad, you need a top performance, and we couldn’t deliver a top performance today.”
City visit Bournemouth on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in the league season finale on May 24. If Arsenal beat Burnley on Monday, City must beat Europe-chasing Bournemouth, who are on a 16-game unbeaten run, the following day.
(Reuters)
