3 weeks ago
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City are only nan 4th broadside to people 4 aliases much goals successful 4 consecutive Premier League games
Chief shot writer astatine Amex Stadium
If Arsenal hoped Brighton would activity retired and utilization flaws successful Manchester City’s make-up successful nan aforesaid mode Everton brutally exposed Liverpool’s, they were to beryllium sorely disappointed.
And this is because, astatine this shape of nan Premier League play erstwhile nan large prize is successful show and nan unit is astatine its height, nan reigning champions seldom show immoderate signs of weakness.
Arsenal fulfilled their portion of nan bargain by thrashing Chelsea 5-0 astatine Emirates Stadium connected Tuesday before Liverpool subsided successful nan Goodison Park hothouse 24 hours later.
The Gunners stay apical of nan array successful a position they would person signed up for instantly astatine nan commencement of nan season, but nan mode of City’s demolition of Brighton connected this soggy nighttime connected nan southbound seashore sounded an ominous statement for anyone wishing to wrestle distant their crown.
This convincing, highly regular 4-0 triumph saw City move up of Liverpool into 2nd spot and to wrong 1 constituent of Arsenal, pinch a crippled successful manus connected some of nan teams who person made nan title title truthful enthralling this season.
If Manchester City triumph their remaining 5 games they will declare a 4th successive Premier League title, a sixth successful 7 seasons, and history tells america location is each chance they will do it.
Arsenal will person a immense opportunity successful that, while Liverpool’s title pursuit now relies connected slip-ups elsewhere arsenic good arsenic swiftly stopping their ain melodramatic diminution successful form.
It is City, however, who person been complete this people and region earlier to walk nan finishing station first and location was surely nary motion of nerves astatine nan Amex Stadium.
City person now gone 18 convention games unbeaten, winning 14 and drafting four, since they mislaid 1-0 astatine Aston Villa successful December.
And their world-class crippled changers are successful afloat moving bid erstwhile it matters most.
Erling Haaland whitethorn beryllium sidelined done wounded but City ever person a brilliant successful waiting somewhere, aliases 2 successful nan style of Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne connected this occasion, arsenic Brighton were outclassed.
De Bruyne is renowned for beautiful overmuch everything isolated from his heading but he group City connected their measurement present pinch a spectacular effort. It was nan first header successful his 68 convention goals, a flying decorativeness into nan apical area from Kyle Walker’s cross. Is location thing nan awesome Belgian cannot do?
Guardiola delight astatine 'really bully result'
Foden past added 2 much earlier half-time to trim what looked for illustration a tricky fixture to nan position of a formality. He scored his first pinch a deflected free-kick, wrongly awarded for a gaffe not a foul. Brighton’s vexation was exacerbated by a decisive deflection disconnected Pascal Gross which wrong-footed keeper Luke Steele.
He scored his 2nd pinch thief from Brighton’s high-risk strategy of playing retired from nan back. Surely location is simply a clip and place, and successful your ain area, pinch teen Valentin Barco nan culprit connected his Premier League debut, is neither nan clip nor nan place.
These were Foden’s 50th and 51st Premier League goals for City, his potency simply adding further powerfulness to head Pep Guardiola’s immense weaponry. Sixteen of those strikes person travel this season.
And conscionable to adhd to nan image of City arsenic nan complete team, Julian Alvarez’s 4th extremity was started by a 71-yard pinpoint walk from goalkeeper Ederson to Walker. It ended a tally of 8 games without a extremity for nan Argentine, who worked truthful difficult and deserved his reward.
Arsenal put their marker down first by sweeping Chelsea speech and while Liverpool’s consequence astatine Everton was weak, City made an emphatic connection of their ain astatine Brighton.
The Seagulls are presently reduced by injuries and look jaded but nan measurement City moved smoothly done nan gears suggested they would person beaten astir sides successful this mood.
At nan centre of each is nan peerless Rodri, who breezed done this crippled to return his unbeaten tally successful Guardiola's broadside to 69 matches.
Arsenal, dissimilar past season, do not look for illustration they are going distant though we will cognize much aft Sunday’s northbound London derby astatine Tottenham Hotspur. Their purpose must beryllium to support winning and dream for a travel elsewhere.
The problem is that it would beryllium retired of characteristic for City to hide their lines astatine this shape of nan season. They person been well-rehearsed complete clip pinch awesome success.
