Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-1 on Sunday to seize control of the Premier League title race, while Liverpool strengthened their bid for a Champions League place with a dramatic Merseyside derby win.
Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, had topped the table for months but is faltering at a crucial stage in its pursuit of a first league title in 22 years. Erling Haaland proved decisive for City, scoring in the 65th minute after Rayan Cherki’s opener was cancelled out by Kai Havertz, who capitalised on a costly error by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arteta was left frustrated in the closing moments as Havertz missed a clear chance to equalise, heading over the bar. The victory puts Pep Guardiola’s side in a strong position, with a win at Burnley in midweek set to send them top of the table and closer to a seventh title in nine seasons.
Earlier, Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Everton in their first match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The result moved Arne Slot’s team seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification.
Van Dijk headed home a corner from Dominik Szoboszlai in the 100th minute after Mohamed Salah had earlier opened the scoring from a pass by Cody Gakpo. Everton equalised shortly after halftime through Beto, following a cross from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, in a move that saw goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili stretchered off.
Aston Villa also secured a dramatic 4-3 win over Sunderland, with Tammy Abraham scoring a late winner after the visitors had come back from 3-1 down. Ollie Watkins netted twice for Villa, who moved level on points with third-placed Manchester United.
At the bottom of the table, Morgan Gibbs-White scored a hat-trick as Nottingham Forest came from behind to beat Burnley 4-1, increasing the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur in the relegation battle. Forest are now five points clear of the drop zone, while West Ham face Crystal Palace on Monday in another crucial fixture.
