MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City cut Arsenal’s lead in the English Premier League to three points by beating Fulham on Wednesday the 30th.
Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland scored in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, where City made another statement of intent in the title race.
Arsenal have a game less than Pep Guardiola’s team, but will feel the pressure this Thursday when they visit Brentford.
“We put the pressure back on Arsenal. We need to wait, see tomorrow’s game and we hope it helps us,” Semenyo said.
Liverpool bounced back from Sunday’s defeat to City to boost their Champions League qualification hopes with a 1-0 win at Sunderland.
And Aston Villa, third, could still have a say in the title race. They beat Brighton 1-0 and are six points behind Arsenal.
City gains momentum in the search for the scepter
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City, second in the table, continued Sunday’s dramatic victory in the final stretch against Liverpool with a comfortable victory against Fulham that, in practice, was resolved before the break.
Semenyo scored for the fifth time in eight games since his $87 million move from Bournemouth was made official last month. His signing could be decisive if City ends up taking the title from Arsenal.
“Being involved in the title fight is something new for me. I am enjoying it, but it brings a lot of pressure and demands,” said the Ghanaian striker. “I think we have the team for that. There are 12 games left and we need to continue.”
Semenyo opened the scoring in the 24th minute and City scored two more goals in quick succession — through O’Reilly in the 30th and Haaland in the 39th.
City’s back-to-back victories have changed the standings after Arsenal extended their lead at the top to nine points on Saturday. The first two must face each other at the Etihad, so the fight for the title is far from over.
Liverpool boost in the Champions League
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said it would take a near-perfect end to the season to secure qualification for the Champions League.
That march started well, against a Sunderland that was undefeated at home this season.
The victory, thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header in the 61st, allowed the Premier League champions to make the most of the points lost by Manchester United and Chelsea on Tuesday.
Liverpool is sixth, two points behind Chelsea, which is fifth, and three behind United, which is fourth.
“We can’t deny that these three points feel like something very big. But there are still 12 games left. We have to keep trying to improve and find some consistency,” Van Dijk said.
Necessary triumph for Villa
Aston Villa, who sit third, also achieved a much-needed win after claiming just one win in five league games.
Jack Hinshelwood’s own goal in the 86th at Villa Park was enough to seal a victory for Unai Emery’s team against Brighton.
“It was a difficult game and we needed to win to regain our confidence,” Emery said. “The three points can give us confidence again to recover the good spirit we had before losing it after some bad results at home.”
The fight for permanence
Burnley, second from bottom, came back from 2-0 down at Crystal Palace to win 3-2.
Palace’s record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice on his home debut but his celebrations turned to disappointment late in the first half when Burnley responded.
Hannibal Mejbri sparked the comeback in the 40th. Four minutes later, the game was tied: Jaidon Anthony equalized.
Burnley’s winning goal came before half-time, thanks to an own goal from Colombian Jefferson Lerma in the second minute of added time in the first half.
Nottingham Forest are just three points above the relegation zone after a goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.
Just six points separate Leeds, 15th, and West Ham, which occupies 18th place, which condemns them to relegation.
date: 2026-02-12 01:51:00
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