A quadruple from Erling Haaland against Wolverhampton (5-1), his first in the Premier League, put Manchester City back in the path of leader Arsenal, also imperial against Bournemouth (3-0), Saturday during a 36th day where the The hope of remaining is almost gone for Burnley.
The battle for the title continues to rage between the two contenders, Arsenal (1st, 83 pts) and Manchester City (2nd, 82 pts), separated by one point and a match in hand, the one that the “Citizens” will play on the 14th. May at Tottenham.
“There are three matches left, we hope to win the first and the second, and arrive at the third with our destiny in our hands,” their coach, Pep Guardiola, told Sky Sports after defeating the “Wolves”, eleventh in the standings. .
The current leader Arsenal, in search of a first coronation since 2004, is therefore counting more than ever on a helping hand from Tottenham, its historic rival from north London, to trip up the Mancunians, in search of a fourth title in a row.
Against Wolverhampton, the “Gunners” pocketed a fourteenth victory in the sixteen championship matches they played in 2024, thanks to a penalty from Bukayo Saka (45th), a goal from Leandro Trossard (70th) and a last one from Declan Rice (90th+7).
Since the winter break, the Londoners have maintained a hellish pace with 43 points taken out of 48 possible, with 51 goals scored against only 8 conceded.
20 goals for Saka
On Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s team was patient and insistent in a first period largely to its advantage, both in possession and chances: 16 shots (including 5 on target) against only one (not on target) for the visitors.
But she sometimes lacked precision, as with this powerful strike from Rice (38th), or fell on a vigilant goalkeeper, notably when the French defender William Saliba chained an offensive build-up, dribble and left shot (18th).
The opposing goalkeeper, Mark Travers, however made a mistake by catching the foot of Kai Havertz, launched in depth by a perfectly measured pass from captain Martin Odegaard.
At the age of 22, 14 of which he spent at the club, Bukayo Saka took responsibility for a penalty (45th, 1-0) to score his twentieth goal of the season, in all competitions.
In the second half, the locals controlled the proceedings a little less, giving themselves a few scares defensively. David Raya had to work in front of Dominic Solanke (53rd) and the referee refused a goal from Antoine Semenyo (73rd) for a previous foul by Solanke on the Spanish goalkeeper.
But the Gunners increased their lead with an assist from Rice for Leandro Trossard (70th, 2-0) and a final goal scored by the English midfielder, last summer’s flagship recruit, at the end of added time (90th +7 , 3-0).
Burnley en danger
The pressure put on by Arsenal seemed to slip off the shoulders of Manchester City, engaged later in the afternoon, and particularly on those of Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian scored three goals before half-time, from a penalty (12th, 45th + 3) and a beautiful header (35th), then a fourth with a curling shot after a nice control in the middle of the race ( 54th, 4-1).
The 23-year-old center forward rejects the criticisms aimed at him this year, on his few failures and his limited influence in the construction of the game, with statistics that are still dizzying: he has reached a total of 25 goals in 28 matches of championship contested this season.
“I try to improve every day. I had a few problems here and there. Let’s not focus on them, let’s focus on the positive things,” he reacted to Sky Sports.
At the other end of the ranking, the penultimate Burnley (19th, 24 pts) seems destined for a return to the Championship, a year after leaving it.
The 22nd defeat of the season, Saturday against Newcastle (4-1), places Vincent Kompany’s “Clarets” five points behind Nottingham Forest (17th, 29 pts), the current first non-relegation team, winner 3-1 on Saturday of his duel against Sheffield United.
Between these two teams, Luton Town (18th, 26 pts) retains a small chance of remaining before its final matches, against West Ham and Fulham.
