Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s prolific scorer, achieved yet one more notable feat throughout his distinctive inaugural season within the Premier League.
His spectacular brace assisted in securing a decisive 3-1 victory in opposition to Leicester City, propelling his workforce nearer to the summit of the league desk, with solely a three-point hole behind the present frontrunners, Arsenal.
The Norwegian’s brace took his tally to 32 objectives for the season, equalling the file complete for a 38-game season, with reigning champions City nonetheless having eight league video games remaining.
In the race to complete within the prime 4, third-placed Newcastle United slumped to a 3-0 defeat at a resurgent Aston Villa however had been relieved when fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur later went down 3-2 at house to relegation battlers Bournemouth.
Frank Lampard suffered a 3rd consecutive defeat since returning to Chelsea as interim supervisor within the wake of Graham Potter’s sacking, his aspect dropping 2-1 at house to a Brighton & Hove Albion aspect nonetheless within the hunt for European qualification.
Southampton’s 10-year keep within the prime flight is in grave hazard of ending as the underside membership went down 2-0 at house to almost-safe Crystal Palace, for whom Eberechi Eze scored twice to take care of Roy Hodgson’s 100% file since taking cost.
Fourth-from-bottom Everton stays within the mire after dropping 3-1 at house to Fulham.
Wolverhampton Wanderers hoisted themselves additional away from the relegation zone with a 2-0 house win in opposition to Brentford.
With Arsenal in motion at West Ham United on Sunday, Manchester City seized their probability to use extra strain by dismantling Nineteenth-placed Leicester earlier than halftime.
The City now have 70 factors from 30 video games, with Arsenal on 73.
Defender John Stones fired City forward from shut vary within the fifth minute and Haaland made it 2-0 with a penalty seven minutes later after a handball by Wilfred Ndidi.
Haaland chipped in his second within the twenty fifth minute after Kevin De Bruyne’s setup, the purpose taking him degree with Mo Salah’s file for a 38-game Premier League marketing campaign. He now has 47 objectives from all competitions this season.
Smith’s uncomfortable begins
Leicester managed a comfort purpose from Kelechi Iheanacho, however by that stage City, who took Haaland off at halftime, had been already setting their sights on subsequent week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg away at Bayern Munich, the place they may begin with a 3-0 benefit.
“The game was tricky in the last 20 minutes. But the first 55, 60 minutes was good,” Pep Guardiola, who racked up his one hundred and fiftieth house win in command of City, stated.
For Leicester’s interim supervisor Dean Smith it was an uncomfortable begin to his rescue mission, though his aspect remained solely two factors behind Seventeenth-placed Everton.
“You can’t come here and give them a two-goal lead after 10 minutes and expect to come out with points,” Smith stated after Leicester’s eighth defeat in 9 league video games.
Newcastle had been overwhelmed for less than the fourth time within the league this season as Ollie Watkins scored twice in a snug win for Villa, who’ve gained 5 in a row to maneuver into sixth place. Jacob Ramsey gave Villa the lead, with Watkins sealing the factors after halftime.
“I think it’s one of those performances that we need to analyze and move on quickly,” Newcastle supervisor Eddie Howe stated. “We weren’t there today.”
Villa have 50 factors, with Tottenham at 53, fourth-placed Manchester United, and Newcastle United at 56. Newcastle and Manchester United, who face Nottingham Forest on Sunday, have performed fewer video games than Villa and Tottenham.
Tottenham took the lead via Son Heung-min and equalized within the 88th minute via Arnaut Danjuma after Bournemouth had gone forward with objectives by Matias Vina and Dominic Solanke.
But substitute Dango Ouattara gained a thriller for Bournemouth within the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Chelsea wanted a confidence increase forward of their Champions League quarter-final second leg in opposition to Real Madrid subsequent week. Instead, she took the lead in opposition to Brighton via Conor Gallagher’s deflected effort early on.
But Brighton hit again with objectives by substitutes Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso to break Lampard’s homecoming.
“I’m disappointed on every level,” Chelsea’s all-time prime goal-scorer Lampard instructed the BBC. “The better team won. They could have won by more. They played like a team.”
Chelsea stay in eleventh place.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
