Can Manchester City Maintain Pressure on Arsenal After Dominating Fulham?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
London, Feb 12 (NationPress) Manchester City exerted pressure on Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League with a convincing 3-0 victory at home against Fulham.
From the outset at a rain-drenched Etihad, City showcased their dominance, leading by two goals within the first thirty minutes. Semenyo opened the scoring, marking his fifth goal since his arrival at City last month at the 24-minute mark.
On the half-hour mark, O’Reilly capitalized on Semenyo’s assist to double the lead before Haaland joined the scoring spree six minutes before halftime.
The Norwegian's strike marked his 153rd career goal for City, allowing him to equal the legendary Colin Bell and secure a spot joint fourth in the club's all-time rankings.
This victory helped City maintain their momentum while keeping the heat on leaders Arsenal, who are set to face Brentford away.
Aston Villa solidified their grip on third place with a 1-0 win over Brighton, thanks to a late deflected effort from Tyrone Mings that found the net off defender Jack Hinshelwood.
Despite not performing at their peak, Villa's match was historic as James Milner matched Gareth Barry's Premier League record with 653 appearances, coming off the bench against one of his former teams.
Virgil van Dijk's header in the 61st minute secured a 1-0 victory for Liverpool at Sunderland, ending the home side's unbeaten streak in the league at the Stadium of Light. This match was overshadowed by a concerning ankle injury to Wataru Endo of Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest remains in a perilous relegation battle after missing several opportunities in a 0-0 draw against last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Burnley kept their slim survival hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace.
The Clarets fell behind 2-0 early on after new signing Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice for Palace. However, they turned the match around with three goals in just over five minutes before halftime.
Hannibal Mejbri and Jaidon Anthony both scored, and a Jefferson Lerma own goal completed the comeback.
This victory ended Burnley's 17-match winless streak, but they still find themselves nine points adrift of 17th-placed Forest.