Manchester City kept the Premier League title race alive with a hard fought 1 0 victory away at Leeds United, despite missing star striker Erling Haaland. The win moved City to within two points of leaders Arsenal on a dramatic Saturday of league action.
Haaland was ruled out with a minor injury, which manager Pep Guardiola insisted was not serious. Without their main goal scorer, City struggled to hit top gear but showed championship mentality to grind out a vital result against an in-form Leeds side. The hosts started brightly and nearly took an early lead, but missed chances proved costly.
The decisive moment came through Antoine Semenyo, who continued his impressive run of form by scoring his sixth goal in eleven games since joining City. Guardiola praised his team’s resilience, stressing that staying close to Arsenal keeps the title battle alive as fixtures pile up across competitions.
Tempers flared after the final whistle, with Leeds manager Daniel Farke shown a red card following a confrontation with officials. Guardiola himself was also visibly frustrated, highlighting the tension surrounding the league run in.
At Anfield, Liverpool produced a dominant 5 2 win over West Ham United to climb into fifth place. Liverpool’s recent improvement from set pieces proved decisive, with three first half goals all coming from corners. Goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister gave the hosts control.
Second half strikes from Cody Gakpo and an own goal sealed the result, despite West Ham responding through Tomas Soucek and Valentin Castellanos.
Elsewhere, Brentford edged Burnley 4 3 in a thrilling contest, while Everton boosted their European hopes with a 3 2 away win at Newcastle United. Bournemouth extended their unbeaten run by drawing with Sunderland.
With Champions League qualification and survival battles intensifying, the Premier League delivered another action packed weekend.
