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04/19 13:20 CDT New favorite? Man City beats Arsenal 2-1 for huge swing in
Premier League title race
New favorite? Man City beats Arsenal 2-1 for huge swing in Premier League title
race
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- The Premier League might just have a new title
favorite.
Manchester City swung the race for the championship in its favor by beating
Arsenal 2-1 on Sunday thanks to a second-half winner by Erling Haaland.
Haaland's league-leading 23rd goal of the campaign in the 65th minute allowed
City to trim the gap to Arsenal, the long-time front-runner, to three points.
City has a game in hand at relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday, after
which Pep Guardiola's team is likely to have overturned its goal-difference
deficit to Arsenal and taken the lead with five rounds remaining.
"Panic on the streets of London" read a banner held aloft behind one of the
goals after the final whistle --- a reference to a 1980s song by The Smiths and
a nod to Arsenal's end-of-season implosion that has seen Mikel Arteta's team
lose four of its last six games in all competitions, including two straight in
the league.
This might be a familiar sinking feeling for Arsenal fans, who have seen their
team finish as runner-up for the past three Premier League seasons.
"Two weeks ago, this didn't look very likely, this scenario," City captain
Bernardo Silva said.
An often-frenetic match exploded into life when Rayan Cherki gave City a
16th-minute lead with a weaving run and finish, only for Arsenal to draw level
in bizarre circumstances two minutes later after Gianluigi Donnarumma's
clearance was charged down by Kai Havertz and rebounded into the net from close
range.
Haaland and Arsenal pair Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes struck the goal
frame, before Haaland slotted home a low shot from Nico O'Reilly's cross,
dealing a huge blow to Arsenal's hopes of a first league championship since
2004.
City is expected to beat next-to-last Burnley, but has a tougher run-in than
Arsenal that includes trips to Everton and Bournemouth and a final-day meeting
with Aston Villa.
"Every game is a final," Haaland said.
Unlike City, which is unbeaten in 10 league games, Arsenal is struggling for
form and also has to balance playing in the Champions League after reaching the
semifinals.
"It's a new league now --- everything is still to play for," Arteta said.
Stoppage-time winners for Liverpool and Villa Liverpool and Aston Villa look to be headed for the Champions League after grabbing stoppage-time winners on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk headed home in the 10th minute of added-on time to earn Liverpool a 2-1 victory at Everton in a Merseyside derby featuring a record-tying goal from Mohamed Salah. Salah, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season after nine trophy-filled seasons, marked his final derby by slotting in a low finish in the 29th minute. His ninth Merseyside derby goal drew him even with Liverpool great Steven Gerrard for the most in the Premier League era (since 1992). It was Liverpool's other stalwart, Van Dijk, who sealed the win by turning in a corner by Dominik Szoboszlai. There was so much stoppage time because Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was forced off on a stretcher after sustaining an injury attempting in vain to save a 54th-minute shot by Beto that brought Everton level. Villa, meanwhile, beat Sunderland 4-3 thanks to Tammy Abraham's goal in the third minute of stoppage time. Fourth-placed Villa moved 10 points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea. Liverpool is in between them, but stretched its advantage over Chelsea to seven points. The top five in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
Gibbs-White hat trick boosts Forest survival chances Morgan Gibbs-White scored a second-half hat trick as Nottingham Forest rallied to beat Burnley 4-1 and further boost its survival hopes. Forest moved five points clear of third-to-last Tottenham in the relegation zone, while next-to-last Burnley slipped closer to the drop to the Championship. ___ Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80 ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Stoppage-time winners for Liverpool and Villa Liverpool and Aston Villa look to be headed for the Champions League after grabbing stoppage-time winners on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk headed home in the 10th minute of added-on time to earn Liverpool a 2-1 victory at Everton in a Merseyside derby featuring a record-tying goal from Mohamed Salah. Salah, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season after nine trophy-filled seasons, marked his final derby by slotting in a low finish in the 29th minute. His ninth Merseyside derby goal drew him even with Liverpool great Steven Gerrard for the most in the Premier League era (since 1992). It was Liverpool's other stalwart, Van Dijk, who sealed the win by turning in a corner by Dominik Szoboszlai. There was so much stoppage time because Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was forced off on a stretcher after sustaining an injury attempting in vain to save a 54th-minute shot by Beto that brought Everton level. Villa, meanwhile, beat Sunderland 4-3 thanks to Tammy Abraham's goal in the third minute of stoppage time. Fourth-placed Villa moved 10 points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea. Liverpool is in between them, but stretched its advantage over Chelsea to seven points. The top five in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
Gibbs-White hat trick boosts Forest survival chances Morgan Gibbs-White scored a second-half hat trick as Nottingham Forest rallied to beat Burnley 4-1 and further boost its survival hopes. Forest moved five points clear of third-to-last Tottenham in the relegation zone, while next-to-last Burnley slipped closer to the drop to the Championship. ___ Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80 ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
