Man City goes to brink of a fourth straight Premier League title

Manchester City regained the upper hand in the Premier League title race on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal, watching idly from home, saw Manchester City take a two-point lead into the final matchday of the season. As a result, Arsenal now needs a win and Manchester City to drop points in the final matchday of the season. Arsenal will take on Everton while Manchester City faces West Ham. Both clubs are playing at home.

Tuesday’s contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium always had a bizarre feel. Spurs had a slim chance, but an opportunity nonetheless, to take the race for the top four into the final day. A win would have closed the gap with Aston Villa to two points, meaning that if Villa lost on the last matchday, Tottenham could have earned top four with a win. Yet, at the same time, Spurs fans relished the opportunity to shut the door on Arsenal’s title dream. A loss against Manchester City would have put Pep Guardiola’s side in pole position after 37 games. And that is what happened, but not as easily as the Sky Blues would have wanted.

A frustrating first half for both clubs was devoid of chances. Each side had one good opportunity. After around five minutes, Rodrigo Bentancur stung the hands of Ederson in the Manchester City net from around 20 yards away. Ten minutes later, a failed clearance from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg allowed Phil Foden to have a shot. A tremendous save from Guglielmo Vicario kept the game scoreless, and that is how it entered halftime.

Erling Haaland’s brace sets City on course for another Premier League title

It took just six minutes in the second half for Manchester City to score a crucial goal in the Premier League title race. Kevin De Bruyne’s assist allowed Haaland to tap in a goal that sent City back into the lead in the table. It was also De Bruyne’s 112th assist in Premier League play, ranking him second all-time behind just Ryan Giggs.

Tottenham had the two best chances after that. Dejan Kulusevski, a second-half substitute, forced a save out of Stefan Ortega, who replaced Ederson following a collision with Cristian Romero. Initially, Kulusevski’s shot from close range trickled through the legs of Ortega, but the replacement goalkeeper pounced on the ball to end the chance. In the 85th minute, he made a save that could go down in Manchester City history. A defensive miscue from Manuel Akanji sprung Son Heung-min on goal. Ortega guessed correctly on the breakaway, and he got his right leg out to block Son’s low-driven shot. That preserved the lead for Manchester City in both the game and the title race.

Erling Haaland then put the game to bed by converting a penalty in stoppage time, Jeremy Doku skinned Pedro Porro as Spurs pressed forward, and Porro’s untimely challenge brought the Belgian to the ground. Haaland powered the ball into the back of the net, and City was on course.

Villa earns Champions League spot

Mathematically, Arsenal is still alive. Manchester City has not lost at home this season, but West Ham could pull off an unlikely miracle. That would also mandate Arsenal defeats Everton at the Emirates.

The one certain after Tuesday’s game is that Aston Villa secured fourth place in the Premier League. Following the side’s draw against Liverpool on Monday, Tottenham needed to win to keep pace with Villa in the hunt for fourth. Losing this game keeps the gap between the two at five points, an insurmountable lead for Aston Villa. Consequently, Villa will play in the top European competition for the first time since the 1982/83 campaign. Tottenham is still a strong candidate to reach the Europa League. If Newcastle and Chelsea drop points in either of their final two games, Tottenham secures a Europa League spot. Likewise, as long as Spurs does not lose the final game against Sheffield United, it will reach the Europa League next season.

Regardless, all eyes now turn to Championship Sunday. Arsenal needs a miracle to end its 20-year drought of top-flight titles. Manchester City, meanwhile, can become the first team to win four titles in a row in English history.

PHOTOS: IMAGO