Manchester City beats Brighton to close gap on Arsenal in title race. football news

Phil Foden scored a double as Manchester City thrashed Brighton 4-0 on Thursday and fell one point behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League title race. Pep Guardiola’s side were in attacking mood at the Amex Stadium from the moment Kevin De Bruyne gave them an early lead. England forward Foden put the result beyond doubt by striking twice before half-time. Julian Alvarez ended his goal drought after half-time to ensure injured striker Erling Haaland did not get a chance as his absence due to a muscle problem stretched for a second consecutive game.

“It’s a good result for us, really good,” Guardiola said. “I said earlier, what we have done in the past does not mean we will do it in the future.

“We know the margin is very small. We have to win every game. In every game we are close.”

Liverpool’s surprise defeat at Everton on Wednesday was a welcome boost for City in the title race, as Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.

And City’s stroll to the south coast put the fate of the title in their hands.

Guardiola’s side, who have a game in hand on both Arsenal and third-placed Liverpool, will be crowned champions for an unprecedented fourth season if they win their last five matches.

City are once again hitting form at the right time, with at least four goals in each of their last four league games.

But Guardiola warned: “What happened with Liverpool, two defeats in a row, it can happen to Arsenal, it can happen to us too.

“The important thing is that we’re still there. There’s a lot of games to play.”

Next up for City, who are unbeaten in 18 league games, is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, while Arsenal travel to Tottenham just a few hours earlier.

Guardiola has rued the “unacceptable” fixture schedule he believes has harmed his players’ health, blaming Pile for his sluggish performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. is in danger.

While City looked for the energy to take them closer to the title, Brighton could not get any fresher as they played for the first time in 12 days.

But there was no sign of fatigue from the champions as they took the lead in the 17th minute with a typically attractive move.

Foden took possession 30 yards from goal and headed down the right side, where his clever pass found the run of Kyle Walker.

city ​​in command

Walker sent a pin-point cross into the area and De Bruyne timed his run perfectly as the Belgian’s diving header fired the ball over Brighton keeper Jason Steele and into the roof of the net.

De Bruyne’s fourth goal in his last five matches marked the first time that the midfielder had scored with his head in his Premier League career.

In a rare moment of concern for the City defence, Brighton almost immediately equalised, but Lewis Dunk’s header was too close to Ederson.

Guardiola’s side doubled their lead in the 26th minute thanks to a stroke of luck when Foden recovered a questionable free-kick.

Foden didn’t waste his chance, unleashing a powerful shot that took a wicked deflection off Pascal Gross as it went past the wrong-footed Steele.

It was the England forward’s 23rd goal in all competitions this season and his 24th goal eight minutes later.

Brighton’s Valentin Barco, alarmed by City’s sustained pressure, gave up possession to Bernardo Silva and Foden latched onto the loose ball, firing a clinical finish into the far corner from 12 yards.

Alvarez had scored once in his previous 16 games and Haaland’s replacement ended that barren run with his first league goal since January in the 62nd minute.

Walker lost control of the ball after entering the area, but his limp tackle prevented Steele from collecting it and Álvarez fired the ball into the goal from close range.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)