Manchester City FC halved Arsenal FC’s lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 home defeat of Fulham FC, and Aston Villa FC stayed in the frame with a late 1-0 victory at home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC on Wednesday.
Nottingham Forest FC squandered a chance to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three as they drew 0-0 at home to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Second-from-bottom Burnley FC pulled off a remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace FC to boost their slender survival hopes.
City have little margin for error in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal, but produced a clinical display to dispose of Fulham.
Photo: Reuters
Three goals in a 15-minute spell in the first half secured the points for Pep Guardiola’s side who moved on to 53 points from 26 games, three behind leaders Arsenal.
Antoine Semenyo poked City ahead in the 24th minute and then set up Nico O’Reilly with a pinpoint pass for the second.
Phil Foden then found Erling Haaland who dispatched a shot for his 22nd league goal of the campaign.
Photo: AFP
Villa’s slender title chances appeared to be ebbing away as they labored at home against Brighton.
They secured the points when Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood scored into his own goal after 86 minutes.
Brighton midfielder James Milner, 40, came off the bench for his 653rd top-flight appearance, equaling Gareth Barry’s record.
Forest had a remarkable 35 goal attempts against Wolves at the City Ground, but none of them found the back of the net as Sean Dyche’s side dropped two important points.
The draw left them in 17th place, only three points above third-from-bottom West Ham United FC.
It turned out to be Forest coach Sean Dyche’s last match. Forest yesterday announced that Dyche had been “relieved of his duties as head coach” after only 114 days on the job.
The Wolves have nine points, but are now only two points behind the lowest-ever Premier League total — Derby County’s 11 in the 2007-08 season.
Burnley ended a 16-game winless streak in remarkable fashion at Selhurst Park.
Palace were cruising after two goals by new signing Jorgen Strand Larsen inside the opening 35 minutes.
Burnley had not registered a shot on target in the opening 39 minutes, but bizarrely were ahead by halftime.
Hannibal Mejbri halved the deficit with a sweetly struck shot and Jaidon Anthony then drove a low shot inside the post to equalize. Burnley then went ahead in first-half stoppage time as Palace keeper Dean Henderson parried a shot, but the ball trickled in off the foot of teammate Jefferson Lerma.
Palace could not respond after the break as Burnley got their first league win since October last year, although they are still nine points behind Forest.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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