London: Manchester City issued a powerful statement of intent in manager Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th match as they crushed defending champions Liverpool 3-0 , narrowing Arsenal’s Premier League lead to four points.
Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and a superb solo strike from Jeremy Doku sealed a dominant display at the Etihad Stadium, reminding everyone that City remain formidable title contenders after a brief dip last season.
The result marked City’s first league victory over Liverpool in more than two years, while Guardiola’s side showcased the fluid, attacking precision that has defined his reign.
City Seize Their Moment
Following Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Sunderland a day earlier, both City and Liverpool had a chance to apply pressure at the top. It was City who seized the opportunity in emphatic fashion.
Although Haaland saw an early penalty saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Norwegian made amends in the 29th minute, heading home to open the scoring. Gonzalez doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, effectively ending Liverpool’s challenge.
Liverpool briefly thought they had pulled one back through Virgil van Dijk, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Doku’s curling strike just after the hour mark added gloss to City’s dominant performance.
“In October or November, you don’t win the Premier League,” Guardiola said post-match. “But you can feel when the team is growing — that’s when you know you’ll be there fighting in the end.”
For Liverpool, who recently triumphed over Real Madrid in the Champions League, it was a sobering afternoon in the Manchester rain. The defeat leaves Arne Slot’s men eighth in the table, eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Villa Rising: Emery’s Men Dismantle Bournemouth
At Villa Park, Aston Villa continued their impressive run with a 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth, climbing to sixth in the standings.
Emiliano Buendia opened the scoring with a sublime free-kick before Amadou Onana doubled the lead before halftime. Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo saw his penalty saved by Emiliano Martinez, and Villa punished the visitors further as substitutes Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen completed the rout.
Manager Unai Emery hailed the team’s intensity and depth. “We want to show that we belong among the top teams. The focus and energy today were outstanding,” he said.
Newcastle’s Struggles Continue
Despite a strong Champions League campaign, Newcastle United’s domestic woes deepened with a 3-1 defeat to Brentford, leaving them 14th in the table.
Harvey Barnes put Newcastle ahead, but Kevin Schade equalised before defender Dan Burn was sent off for a second yellow card. Igor Thiago then converted the resulting penalty and added another late on as Brentford climbed to 12th.
To compound Newcastle’s misery, goalkeeper Nick Pope suffered a shoulder injury, forcing Aaron Ramsdale to make his league debut for the club.
Forest End Drought, Palace and Brighton Stalemate
At the City Ground, Nottingham Forest finally ended their winless league run, beating Leeds United 3-1. After Lukas Nmecha put Leeds ahead, goals from Ibrahima Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White, and a late penalty by Elliot Anderson turned the tide for Sean Dyche’s side.
The result lifted Forest off the bottom to 19th place, just one point behind safety.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion played out a dull 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, leaving both sides mid-table in 10th and 11th respectively.
Premier League Standings (Top 6)
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Arsenal – 28 pts
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Manchester City – 24 pts
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Chelsea – 21 pts
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Tottenham Hotspur – 20 pts
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Liverpool – 20 pts
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Aston Villa – 18 pts
As the league heads into the international break, City’s revival and Villa’s momentum have added new intrigue to a title race that is already shaping up to be one of the tightest in recent years.
