Manchester City have taken an important step towards the next Premier League title. Josep Guardiola’s team was 4-1 too strong for Arsenal on Wednesday evening at its own Etihad Stadium, which did not come into the game for a moment. Erling Braut Haaland provided the final chord with his 33rd of the season. Kevin De Bruyne (twice) and John Stones had already secured the victory. Rob Holding reciprocated on behalf of the Gunners. With the win, City narrows the gap to leader Arsenal to two points with two games in hand.
A major absentee from City’s starting line-up was Nathan Aké. The Dutchman is still suffering too much from a hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Guardiola entered with a defense he had never started before, consisting of Kyle Walker, Stones, Ruben Días and Manuel Akanji. Among the visitors there were basic places for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, contract players at City last year. Mikel Arteta met his old teacher with Guardiola.
From the first whistle, City showed with what intentions it wanted to attack the squatter. After first shouting in vain for a penalty kick, De Bruyne was accurate after seven minutes. The Belgian was launched by Haaland and shot in a controlled manner from about twenty meters: 1-0. Arsenal had no grip on the City duo at all and could thank Aaron Ramsdale that Haaland did not build the score early on. The goalkeeper kept the Norwegian super striker from scoring several times. A shot from Bernardo Silva was also an easy prey for the English closing post.
What a start for City! De Bruyne gives ‘The Citizens’ an early 1-0 lead! ??
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— Viaplay Sport Netherlands (@viaplaysportnl) April 26, 2023
The first time the visitors reported in front of Ederson’s goal was after more than half an hour of play. After a long-running attack, Thomas Partey had the opportunity to swing. The midfielder tried to place the ball, but aimed one and a half meters wide. While Arsenal then thought to reach the half-time signal with a minimal deficit, City struck for the second time from a free kick. De Bruyne put the ball perfectly on the head of Stones, after which the defender headed diagonally. Referee Michael Oliver ruled out the goal for offside, but was saved by VAR.
Even after the break, it was City that called the shots. Arsenal never managed to make a fist and got the lid on the nose within ten minutes of the break. Again Haaland took care of the preparatory work and De Bruyne was the final destination. The Belgian international now has eight goals in eleven games against the Gunners. He has not scored more goals against any other club. The only thing that Arsenal put in return was a shot from Granit Xhaka into the hands of Ederson and a free kick from Bukayo Saka that went over the roof.
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Kevin de Bruyne with his second of the evening. Manchester City is making mincemeat of Arsenal and seems to have won the victory.
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— Viaplay Sport Netherlands (@viaplaysportnl) April 26, 2023
Ten minutes before the end, Guardiola then thought it was time for a crowd change for De Bruyne. Jesus, back on the old nest, also went to the side with loud applause. Arsenal did something back via Holding in the final phase, but it did not go further than an honorary goal. Haaland provided the final chord in the last minute of stoppage time. It is the twelfth game in a row that Guardiola has won against Arteta. City are still seven games away from their third league title in a row. The last time a club in the Premier League achieved that was between 2006 and 2009, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United reigned supreme.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 32 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 43 | 75 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 30 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 70 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 31 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 29 | 59 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 59 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 33 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 54 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 53 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 53 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 49 |
| 9 | Brentford | 33 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 47 |
| 10 | Fulham | 32 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 45 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | -5 | 39 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -11 | 37 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton W. | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | -15 | 37 |
| 14 | West Ham United | 32 | 9 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 34 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | -32 | 33 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | -21 | 30 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | -31 | 30 |
| 18 | Leicester City | 33 | 8 | 5 | 20 | -13 | 29 |
| 19 | Everton | 32 | 6 | 10 | 16 | -22 | 28 |
| 20 | Southampton | 32 | 6 | 6 | 20 | -29 | 24 |