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English Premier League

Everton 0 – 3 Manchester City

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Everton 0 - 3 Manchester City

Everton 0 – 3 Manchester City. Manchester City are one victory away from retaining the Premier League title after despatching relegation-threatened Everton at Goodison Park.

Pep Guardiola’s side can guarantee their third consecutive title with three points at home to Chelsea next Sunday, with games remaining against Brighton and Brentford as back-up.

City moved four points clear at the head of the table and are on the cusp of more top-flight glory after challengers Arsenal were beaten 3-0 by Brighton.

Everton were made to pay a heavy price for Mason Holgate’s glaring miss when unmarked at the far post, the defender somehow hooking over from a couple of yards.

City were second best up until that point but showcased how clinical they are in front of goal, going on to net twice in the space of two minutes.

Ilkay Gundogan was the star of the show, involved in all three of City’s goals with a sublime flicked finish before providing the cross for Erling Haaland’s close range header.

The midfielder also curled in a glorious free-kick from the edge of the area in the second half as City claimed a routine victory.

The loss for Everton leaves them looking nervously over their shoulders with two games remaining, hovering just one point above the relegation zone.

Cross-city rivals Manchester United are the only English team to complete the Treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup with their unforgettable success in 1999.

The next few days will determine how close City can get to emulating that feat.

A fifth title triumph in the past six years is in close reach having cruised to a comfortable victory over Everton, but United will be aiming to stop them from matching their unprecedented achievement in next month’s FA Cup final at Wembley.

Europe’s elite club competition is the win City crave most and they will again face holders Real Madrid on Wednesday, with the semi-final tantalisingly poised at 1-1 after the first leg.

Guardiola’s side are in fine form too, with 12 consecutive league wins and an unbeaten run in all competitions stretching to 22.

“It was a brilliant performance at the end of a season. We need two more victories to be champions. Step by step recovery,” said Guardiola.

City’s slick operators had not managed to create a chance until captain Gundogan, on his 300th appearance for the club, controlled a pass from Riyad Mahrez and hooked in a delightful finish with his back to goal, as well as converting a stunning free-kick.

In between, striker Haaland had only touched the ball twice before nodding in his 52nd goal of an astonishing campaign, as he continues to chase down Everton great Dixie Dean’s record of 63 in a single campaign.

A spectacular scissor kick went awry in the second half, but the damage had long been done and the Norwegian has potentially six games remaining to break Dean’s record, which has remained untouched for 96 years.

Everton’s stunning 5-1 victory at Brighton on Monday took Sean Dyche’s side out of the drop zone and raised optimism for another season in the top flight.

But they may fall back down on Monday evening should 19th-placed Leicester manage to spring a surprise victory on top-four-chasing Liverpool.

The Toffees faithful face a nervous end to another miserable campaign, with games remaining against Wolves at Molineux next Saturday before rounding off the season at Goodison Park against Bournemouth.

The defeat by City marks Everton’s 10th Premier League loss at home, setting a new club record, while they have netted just 15 times on their own turf, the fewest in the league.

Another major concern will be the half-time withdrawal of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who impressed in the opening 45 minutes but was replaced by Neal Maupay – a striker with one goal to his past 39 appearances.

Dyche said afterwards Calvert-Lewin had been taken off at the break after complaining of a tight groin muscle.

The Toffees boss added: “There were some good performances today but City find that way. You’d be amazed if they don’t win the league. They’ve got a big guy who keeps knocking it into the net.”

source – BBC

English Premier League

Arsenal 4 – 1 Newcastle United

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Arsenal 4 - 1 Newcastle United

Arsenal underlined their Premier League title credentials as they recorded their sixth consecutive win with a dominant display against Newcastle.

The result sees Mikel Arteta’s side sit two points behind leaders Liverpool and a point behind second-placed Manchester City at the top of the table.

The outcome of this contest appeared inevitable from the moment visiting defender Sven Botman turned the ball in after Gabriel’s header from a corner had been well saved by Newcastle goalkeeper Loris Karius.

While there was an element of bad luck to that for the Dutch defender, who simply could not get out of the way as his Newcastle team-mate Tino Livramento tried to clear, there was little else about Arsenal’s performance that was owed to good fortune.

The Gunners’ intensity and fluent passing repeatedly carved Eddie Howe’s side apart, particularly down the Magpies’ left flank with Livramento and Botman enduring difficult evenings.

Kai Havertz swept in a deserved second shortly after, with Gabriel Martinelli making the most of indecision in the Newcastle defence to cut the ball back into the German forward’s path.

With Arsenal continuing to press, Bukayo Saka twisted and turned Livramento one way and then another before dispatching a left-foot shot into the bottom left corner add to the hosts’ advantage.

Arteta also enjoyed the luxury of being able to take off his captain Martin Odegaard, Havertz and Saka well before full-time after Jakub Kiwior’s effort deflected past the helpless Karius from another Declan Rice corner.

Newcastle, who remain eighth in the table, managed a late consolation courtesy of Joe Willock’s looping header, but there was little else for the visiting supporters to cheer.

-BBC

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English Premier League

AFC Bournemouth 0 – 1 Manchester City

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AFC Bournemouth 0 - 1 Manchester City

Manchester City moved a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with a hard-fought victory over Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium.

City started slowly but took the lead midway through the first half when Phil Foden steered home after Erling Haaland’s shot was saved by Neto.

The visitors dominated the rest of the half but were fortunate not to be pegged back early in the second, Marcus Tavernier scuffing a shot into the ground from Antoine Semenyo’s cross before shooting wide after fine work from Dominic Solanke.

Solanke had a header punched off the line by Ederson as Bournemouth continued to apply pressure, while Haaland had another shot saved by Neto with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Second-half substitute Enes Unal headed agonisingly wide in stoppage time for the hosts, as City held on to consolidate second place ahead of crucial games at home to Manchester United and away to Liverpool in early March.

Bournemouth, now without a win in their last seven league matches, stay eight points above the relegation zone but drop a place to 14th.

Champions get job done

Pep Guardiola’s team were made to work hard for three points against Brentford on Tuesday, and they were perhaps a little fortunate to get the win from a testing encounter at Vitality Stadium.

Haaland got the all-important goal against the Bees and the Norwegian should have given the visitors the lead here, sending a right-footed shot off target after running on to Foden’s exquisite cushioned pass.

Haaland was denied by Neto midway through the first half, but Foden – who has now scored in his past five appearances against the Cherries – was on hand to guide home his 16th goal of the season. That is his joint-most in a single campaign.

John Stones, operating in a more advanced role than usual, was outstanding in the first half in particular, repeatedly marauding upfield and almost setting up Rodri for a second City goal not long after Foden’s opener.

The visitors rode their luck after half-time as Bournemouth pushed for an equaliser, with a combination of wasteful finishing by the hosts and smart goalkeeping from Ederson securing City a hard-earned three points.

City have won all 14 of their Premier League games against the Cherries – the best 100% record by one team against another in top-flight history.

Their next five league matches – all against teams currently in the top seven – will go a long way to defining their campaign.

-BBC

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English Premier League

Manchester United 1 – 2 Fulham

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Manchester United 1 - 2 Fulham

Manchester United were given a harsh reality check at Old Trafford as Alex Iwobi’s injury-time effort gave Fulham only their second Old Trafford victory since 1963.

Four days after new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke of United attempting to knock Manchester City and Liverpool off their perch at the top of the English game, they suffered a major blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification.

Without injured striker Rasmus Hojlund, the hosts were ineffective in attack until the final minute of normal time, when Harry Maguire seemed to have rescued a point for the hosts.

But Iwobi had the final say deep into nine minutes of stoppage time, restoring an advantage initially given to them by Nigeria defender Calvin Bassey, who lashed home the loose ball after his header from a Fulham corner had been blocked by team-mate Timothy Castagne.

The result ended a run of 11 Premier League away games without a win for the west London outfit. Prior to this contest, only Sheffield United had a worse top-flight away record this term.

Neither the defeat nor, more importantly, the performance, will give anyone the belief United will achieve Ratcliffe’s lofty aims any time soon.

A sobering reality
There have been a lot of bold claims out of Old Trafford this week.

Ratcliffe has spoken of challenging for major trophies, while Ten Hag has outlined how he and the new co-ownership are aligned in their thinking and the overall direction is positive.

There is nothing like a miserable grey, cold, wet Manchester day to add a large dollop of reality to the situation United find themselves in.

With injury consigning in-form Hojlund to the directors’ box, Marcus Rashford was forced to plough a lone furrow up front and made little impact. Ten Hag gave 19-year-old Omari Forson his first start rather than bring in underperforming £82m Brazilian Antony, while Victor Lindelof filled in at left-back in the absence of Luke Shaw, who is set to miss the remainder of the campaign with a muscle problem.

The performance did not smack of a side capable of securing Champions League football next season, which Ratcliffe has made a priority, let alone threatening Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, who are a long way ahead on this evidence.

Ineos head of sport – and new United football club director – Sir Dave Brailsford was at Old Trafford to see United roar back from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa on Boxing Day, one of two occasions this season when they had rolled back the years to produce a comeback of thrilling defiance.

When Maguire pounced in the final minute of normal time, it seemed another might be on the cards. United hardly deserved parity. Other than a first-half Diogo Dalot shot that flicked off the outside of a post, Marcus Rashford’s angled effort that Leno saved and a Maguire header that sailed over the bar, they had done little of any effectiveness around the Fulham box.

As it turned out, it was to be Fulham who had the final word. Today, there was no papering over the Old Trafford cracks.

A famous Fulham win
It is almost 12 months since Fulham’s visit to this stadium for an FA Cup tie that ended in chaos as manager Marco Silva and two of his players were sent off, and what was shaping up to be a famous victory turned into a controversial defeat.

While the visitors mercifully avoided any repeat of that discipline breakdown, they were forced to endure more frustration in a first half they dominated without being able to take one of the numerous chances that came their way.

In exploiting the space available in front of the United backline in transition, Fulham were given the freedom to get clear sights of goal.

Iwobi had two opportunities, the second in particular he should have done better with. Andre Onana saved from Rodrigo Muniz and former United midfielder Andreas Pereira. The Cameroon keeper probably earned his luck in the first instance, when the rebound struck Sasa Lukic at close range and the ball bounced inches wide.

Muniz, aiming to become the fourth Fulham player – after Louis Saha, Collins John and Manor Solomon – to score in four successive Premier League games, rolled Lindelof in the penalty area, then fired against the outside of a post with Onana beaten.

At the interval, the fear among the visiting contingent must have been that, after being so flat for so long, their hosts had to improve.

But they didn’t and Bassey lashed home his first Fulham goal with a decisiveness lacking from United’s play.

Even after Maguire’s leveller, Fulham would not be denied as Iwobi finally found the target to give the Cottagers a famous win.

-BBC

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