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Man City crush Arsenal to take charge of title race
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OLI SCARFF/ AFP
A Kevin De Bruyne-inspired Manchester City struck a hammer blow in the Premier League title race as they outclassed leaders Arsenal 4-1 with an electrifying display in a seismic clash of the top two at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s relentless side ran riot as they made it 12 successive league wins against Arsenal with a masterful De Bruyne scoring twice and Erling Haaland also on target as City seized control of their destiny.
De Bruyne fired City ahead in the seventh minute from Haaland’s pass and the hosts bombarded Arsenal’s goal before John Stones deservedly doubled their lead with a header in first half stoppage time.
Arsenal, who began the clash five points clear but having drawn three successive games, looked powerless to stop the onslaught and when De Bruyne struck again early in the second half it became a damage-limitation operation for the leaders.
Rob Holding grabbed an 86th-minute consolation but it was too little too late for Mikel Arteta’s side and City now look firm favourites to claim a fifth title in six seasons.
Haaland finally got on the scoresheet in stoppage time for his 49th goal of the season in all competitions — the most by a top-flight player in England since Clive Allen in 1986-87.
City’s seventh successive league win left them with 73 points to Arsenal’s 75, but crucially they have played two fewer games than the Londoners whose hopes of a first title since 2004 now look forlorn after four games without a win.
Liverpool in European hunt after win over West Ham
A bullet header from Joel Matip gave Liverpool a 2-1 win over West Ham United that moved them above Tottenham Hotspur and back into the European places.
The Reds are in sixth spot in the table on 53 points, ahead of Spurs thanks to their far superior goal difference and one point behind Aston Villa with a game in hand as they seek to salvage a disappointing season.
The visitors had to battle hard for their victory, with West Ham taking the lead in stunning fashion in the 12th minute when Lucas Paqueta cut in from the left and played a one-two with Michail Antonio before firing home from the edge of the area.
That lead lasted only six minutes as Dutch striker Cody Gakpo received a pass in a central position, taking a touch before quickly unleashing a bouncing shot that evaded the dive of Lukasz Fabianski before nestling in the far corner.
It took a brilliant piece of defending by Virgil van Dijk to prevent West Ham going ahead again just before the break as he got a toe to a superb angled ball from Said Benrahma to prevent Antonio from scoring at the far post.
Liverpool dominated possession throughout but the Hammers were dangerous on the break, and they had a brilliant solo goal by Jarrod Bowen ruled out after a VAR review found him to be offside early in the second half.
After having a shot blocked a minute earlier, Matip got the winner in the 67th minute when he powered home a close-range header from Andy Robertson’s corner.
West Ham had a late shout for a penalty turned down when the ball struck the arm of substitute Thiago Alcantara as he went in for a tackle, but the referee waved away their appeals and VAR did not come to their aid as Liverpool hung on for their third win in a row.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest moved out of the relegation zone as Brazilian Danilo scored his first goal for the club to help seal a 3-1 victory over Europe-chasing Brighton & Hove Albion.
Brennan Johnson missed an early penalty for Forest at the City Ground and Brighton deservedly led when 18-year-old Argentine Facundo Buonanotte also netted for the first time in the Premier League.
But Forest forced Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross to put the ball into his own net seconds before halftime, and Danilo capitalised from more sloppy play to put the home side in front in the second period.
Morgan Gibbs-White added a late third from another spot-kick as Forest climbed to 17th with 30 points from 33 games, one clear of the drop-zone, while Brighton remain in eighth position on 49 points from 30 matches.
Meanwhile, Brentford condemned Chelsea to a fifth defeat in five games in all competitions under interim coach Frank Lampard on Wednesday as an own goal by Blues’ captain Cesar Azpilicueta and a strike by Bryan Mbeumo handed the Bees a 2-0 win.
The loss left Chelsea 11th in the Premier League table, stumbling towards possibly their worst campaign since the 1993/94 season – when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle – despite their new US owners’ huge outlay on players.
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