Man City climb four points clear of Arsenal in title race

Agency :
Manchester City continued its seemingly unstoppable charge towards a third consecutive Premier League title with a 2-1 victory over Leeds United on Saturday that put the club four points clear of Arsenal.

Ilkay Gundogan scored a brace for Man City, but missed a late penalty that left manager Pep Guardiola enraged after the Spaniard had called for Erling Haaland to take it, with Leeds grabbing a goal back a minute later.

Liverpool’s faint hopes of a top-four finish continued as it beat Brentford 1-0 at Anfield thanks to Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike.

Harry Kane scored to lift Tottenham Hotspur to a much-needed 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, its first victory in five games, while Chelsea claimed its first win under interim manager Frank Lampard with a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth.

Man City had appeared to be cruising after Gundogan’s double strike put the club in the box seat at the Etihad Stadium but the German’s missed penalty in the 84th minute set up a nervy finish as Rodrigo Moreno pulled a goal back for Leeds moments later.

While Gundogan was on a hat-trick, Guardiola was adamant there should be no room for sentiment and Haaland was the designated taker.
“The performance was excellent. We played really, really good,” Guardiola said. “Who knows if Erling takes the penalty and misses it? What happens if Gundo takes the penalty and scores? So the question is 2-0, who is the taker? The taker is Erling.”

City’s victory, coupled with an Arsenal loss on Sunday to Newcastle United, would all but clinch the Premier League title for the treble-chasers who stretched its winning league run to 10 games.

Wolverhampton Wanderers got an early goal from defender Toti and then held on for a gritty 1-0 win over Aston Villa to all but cement a spot in the Premier League next season.
It was a welcome win for Julen Lopetegui’s side after a 6-0 thumping by Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
“Massive result for us,” said Ruben Neves, whose corner kick led to the goal. “After the Brighton game, it’s all we have talked about.”
Wolves climbed 10 points clear of the relegation zone with 40 points, while Villa remained in eighth after its second consecutive loss.