Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, reducing the gap at the top of the table to two (2) points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, Guardiola made six changes to his team, including resting his league-leading scorer Erling Haaland for the night.
Ghanaian International Antoine Semenyo put Manchester City ahead in the 32nd minute when Phil Foden’s crafty back-heel set him up to slot a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Egyptian International Omar Marmoush doubled City’s lead in the 40th minute, when Foden’s touch on a cross landed at the Egyptian’s feet and he shot on the turn back into the far corner.
It marked the first time Foden has provided multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League game in his career.
Brazilian Savinho added a third in the 84th minute when he latched onto a through ball from Rayan Cherki and finished with a left-footed shot from the edge of the six-yard box.
Had City lost or drawn against Palace, Arsenal would have clinched their first league title in 22 years with a victory over already-relegated Burnley on Monday.
The victory lifts Manchester City 77 points, while Arsenal have 79, with two games remaining for each.
“It’s a massive game, must-win, so we are really happy,” Foden said. “The aim is to keep pushing and keep (Arsenal) on their toes”.
“We’ve seen a lot of things can happen on the final day. I’ve experienced it many times when the game doesn’t go your way. We just have to keep pushing and doing our part.”
City’s victory continued an unbeaten league run that stretches back to mid-January and that has breathed life into a title race that for much of the season felt like Arsenal had it in the bag.
Manchester City visit Bournemouth on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in the league season finale on May 24th. If Arsenal beat Burnley on Monday, City must beat Europe-chasing Bournemouth, who are on a 16-game unbeaten run, the following day.
