Manchester City took a step closer to securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title after a dominant 5-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Bournemouth temporarily placed them at the top of the table.
Prior to City’s dominant win, Arsenal overcame another obstacle in their quest for their first league championship in two decades. A penalty by Bukayo Saka just before halftime put Arsenal in the lead. Leandro Trossard calmed nerves at the Emirates with a second goal at the 70-minute mark, while Declan Rice sealed the deal with a third goal in stoppage time. “We had our best first half performance of the season. We had many chances to score more goals, but we only managed to score one,” commented Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Bournemouth deserves credit for making changes that opened up the game, which was something we were trying to avoid. Arsenal’s next match is against Manchester United at Old Trafford, followed by hosting Everton on the final day. Despite the pressure from Arsenal’s win, City showed no signs of it as Haaland and the defending champions dominated Wolves at the Etihad. Guardiola confidently stated that if they secure nine more points, they will be crowned champions. However, even with seven, six, or three points, Arsenal will still win the Premier League.Haaland extended his league scoring lead to 25 goals with his first-ever four-goal performance. He opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and then doubled City’s lead in the 35th minute with a header from Rodri’s cross. Just before halftime, the 23-year-old converted another penalty. Although Hwang Hee-chan pulled one back for Wolves in the 53rd minute, Haaland quickly responded with his fourth goal. Substitute Julian Alvarez wrapped up City’s scoring
Newcastle, led by Alexander Isak’s 20th league goal of the season, secured a convincing win over Burnley, with Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff, and Bruno Guimaraes also finding the back of the net. Isak’s missed penalty was a minor setback on an otherwise positive day for the team.