City topple Arsenal to ignite title charge

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland picked the perfect time to end his lean spell in the Premier League with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal to give his side the edge in the title race this morning.

The Norwegian poacher had not scored in the league since February but his emphatic finish after 65 minutes of a compelling Etihad Stadium showdown proved decisive as City moved three points behind Arsenal with a game in hand.

Victory over relegation-bound Burnley on Thursday would move City top of the table with five games to play.

Arsenal, who have been favourites to win their first title since 2004 having led the race since October, have 70 points from 33 games with City on 67 from 32.

"We have to enjoy it, celebrate it, take the good things but don't lose the focus. The focus is in three days, we go to Burnley," City manager Pep Guardiola said.

Arsenal had lost their last three domestic games in all competitions while City have been resurgent since beating Mikel Arteta's side in the League Cup final.

But they arrived knowing a first away league win over City for 11 years would give them one hand on the trophy.

They left wondering if the loss would have a similarly destructive impact to 2023 when City won an April title scrap 4-1 on the way to overtaking Arteta's side.

Not that this was a capitulation and had Havertz taken two golden chances or Eberechi Eze's sweet left-foot strike not struck the post, things could have been different.

"It is a new league now, they are a game in hand. We have three points of advantage and five games to play, so everything is still to play for," Arteta said. "So we know how much we want it. We're not going to stop and we're going to go again."

Arsenal's surprise home defeat by Bournemouth last week opened the title door for City but anything other than victory today would have handed back the advantage.

They got the perfect start with a moment of magic by Rayan Cherki giving them the lead in the 16th minute -- the Frenchman gliding into the area with deft footwork before slotting a finish past David Raya.

But the lead lasted less than two minutes as Kai Havertz closed down City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as he took an age to clear and the ball ricocheted off the German into the net.

The equaliser took the sting out of City, though they recovered their rhythm as halftime approached and it took a block by Piero Hincapie to thwart Antoine Semenyo.

City turned the screws after the break, dominating possession as Arsenal retreated. Semenyo's touch let him down when played through and Jeremy Doku fared little better, shooting straight at Raya.

Arsenal sprang back into life, however, and Donnarumma redeemed himself with a save from Havertz before the Italian was beaten by Eze's curling shot but rescued by his post.

Just as the Arsenal fans began to find their voices, they were silenced in the 65th minute. Nico O'Reilly played the ball across the area and Haaland pounced to sweep his shot past Raya for his 23rd league goal of the season.

City then lived dangerously as a free kick into their box deflected off O'Reilly and on to the post.

Tempers frayed with the game-long battle between Gabriel and Haaland reaching boiling point when both were shown yellow cards for butting heads. Arsenal pumped balls into City's box in stoppage time but Havertz wasted a golden chance to equalise as his free header rippled the top of the net.

This was not a knockout blow for Arsenal, but the tide has turned in City's favour as they seek a fifth title in six seasons.

Van Dijk scores late winnner

Liverpool boosted their push for European qualification as captain Virgil van Dijk headed home a dramatic stoppage-time winner to earn a 2-1 victory over Everton earlier this morning.

The victory in the first Merseyside derby at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium lifted the visitors to fifth in the standings with five games remaining, seven points above sixth-placed Chelsea with five Premier League clubs earning Champions League berths next season.

Nottingham Forest moved five points clear of the relegation zone as Morgan Gibbs-White struck a 15‑minute hat-trick to inspire a 4-1 comeback win over Burnley. Aston Villa tightened their grip on a Champions League place as Tammy Abraham scored in stoppage time to seal a 4-3 victory over Sunderland.

At Hill Dickinson, Mohamed Salah stamped his mark in the 29th minute in his final derby ahead of his planned departure from Liverpool, as Everton gave the ball away cheaply and Cody Gakpo picked out the Egyptian in the box, and he calmly fired home past Jordan Pickford to break the deadlock.

Beto brought Everton roaring back early in the second half by bundling the ball home from close range nine minutes after the break, but Van Dijk's late header from a corner meant the visitors snatched all three points.

"We've got five more games left against teams that are also fighting for the Champions League spots," Van Dijk said. "Every game is a big one. Like I said, we are very disappointed as whole for the season that we're having because of the quality we have. It's below standards.

"But we have to keep fighting, keep going and make the best out of this poor season we're having. That's the reality, onto the next."

Liverpool have 55 points, three behind Aston Villa, while Everton are 10th on 47 points.