Haaland's late winner tightens City's grip on title race vs Arsenal
Haaland's late winner tightens City's grip on title race vs Arsenal
Haaland’s decisive strike at the Etihad closes the gap and keeps Manchester City in the thick of the Premier League title battle with Arsenal.
Erling Haaland wasted no time reminding Arsenal of past title shortcomings as Manchester City edged their rivals 2-1 at the Etihad, closing the gap to just three points with a game in hand.
His 65th-minute winner came after Gianluigi Donnarumma’s error allowed Kai Havertz to cancel out Rayan Cherki’s opener. City also hit the post, while Arsenal created chances of their own and Havertz missed a late opportunity.
Haaland pressed his case after the final whistle, saying: “I don’t know, you need to ask them. The last seasons they’ve come up short. For now they are first and they are still there, they’ve been the best team of the season. I don’t want to speak too much about them because they are an amazing team and we should focus on ourselves.”
He added: “We know exactly the situation. We’re still second, we play on Wednesday. There are a few of us who have been in this situation before, (as well as) a lot of new (players). It’s about staying calm and thinking about what you can do.”
City have closed the gap to three points and now face a game in hand that could swing the title race in their favour as they prepare to take on Burnley on Wednesday. Arsenal, while still the leaders earlier in the campaign, will have to absorb this setback and keep their focus on maintaining their top spot in a season packed with drama.
