Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be able to welcome back Nathan Ake in midweek as West Ham visit the Etihad Stadium.
17.04.2023 - 07:35 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to four points in a weekend where Pep Guardiola's side became hot favourites for a fifth title in six seasons.
City enjoyed a commanding 3-1 win over Leicester City without going past third gear, an Erling Haaland brace adding to John Stones' wonderful volley. Pep Guardiola took both his goalscorers off at half-time, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish all removed early in the second half.
That heaped the pressure on Arsenal, who looked to have been unphased when Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard put them two up inside 10 minutes. But two goals from the Hammers either side of Bukayo Saka's missed penalty turned the tide, both in the game and the overall title race.
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Mikel Arteta's side remain four points clear, but with the Blues having a game in hand and welcoming the league leaders to the Etihad, they are now the bookies favourites. Whatever happens, it looks set to go down to the wire, and MEN Sport has taken a close look at City's next six league fixtures and compared them with Arsenal's.
Guardiola said it himself, next week's welcoming of Arsenal to the Etihad will come to resemble a cup final of sorts. The Gunners could be seven points clear when they travel north for that mammoth clash, with the Blues not playing in the league until that point.
Arsenal host Southampton at the Emirates next weekend when City are in FA Cup semi-final action against Sheffield United, not to mention the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
After that clash on April 26, it is City who undoubtedly have the easier run-in, with an
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be able to welcome back Nathan Ake in midweek as West Ham visit the Etihad Stadium.
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Manchester City will be looking to close the gap on the Premier League title race when they welcome league leaders Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola's side are five points behind but have two games-in-hand over Mikel Arteta's team so this match is a huge six-pointer.
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