Arsenal thrash Man City to stay in title race

Arsenal kept their Premier League title hopes alive with a dominant 5-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, piling further misery on the struggling champions at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s side had to respond after Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday extended their lead at the top to nine points. They did so emphatically, with Martin Odegaard opening the scoring just 103 seconds into the match after a defensive lapse from City.

Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half, heading in a cross from Savinho for his 25th goal of the season. But Arsenal quickly regained control, punishing City’s defensive frailties.

Thomas Partey restored the lead in the 57th minute after intercepting a poor pass from Phil Foden and scoring with a deflected strike. Myles Lewis-Skelly made it 3-1 just five minutes later, cutting inside before curling a composed finish into the far corner. The 18-year-old celebrated by mimicking Haaland’s signature meditation pose.

Kai Havertz extended Arsenal’s lead in the 76th minute, finishing clinically after being set up by Gabriel Martinelli. Substitute Ethan Nwaneri put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time with a superb strike from a tight angle.

City’s struggles continued as they failed to beat Arsenal for a fourth straight league meeting. Pep Guardiola’s side remain fourth but now face a battle to secure Champions League qualification, let alone defend their title.

“We have a strong, united group of players that’s moving forward. Let’s look ahead to the next match,” Guardiola told DAZN after another frustrating performance.

Arsenal, meanwhile, stretched their unbeaten run to 14 games and closed the gap to six points behind Liverpool, keeping the title race alive heading into the final stretch of the season.

(Source: AFP)