Manchester City’s victory narrowed their lead over Premier League leaders Arsenal to two points.
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Nico O’Reilly’s two first-half goals gave Manchester City a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United, making the match with Premier League leaders Arsenal even more intense.
On Saturday, City took the lead in the 14th minute with O’Reilly’s left-footed shot, but Lewis Hall equalized.
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City regained the lead in the 27th minute when Erling Haaland’s cross was headed in by O’Reilly, and Josep Guardiola’s side cut Arsenal’s lead to two points, scoring the winning goal.
Arsenal face north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, but they know City are on the back foot.
Arsenal’s lackluster draw with bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday opened the door for City, but a win against Newcastle was essential.
It looked like a formality in the early going as they dominated the visitors, but it was a different story after the break as they nervously defended their victory.
Nothing showed City’s determination more than seeing goal-machine Haaland working tirelessly back in his own area, blocking shots and heading clear.
Newcastle pushed hard for an equaliser, and there was a collective cry of relief around the Etihad Stadium when the final whistle blew. They will be watching Arsenal’s Sunday derby with even more interest in the future.
City started the game smoothly and took the lead when Omar Marmouche played in O’Reilly. He could have fired a shot past Haaland on his left, but the 20-year-old chose to trust his left foot and beat Nick Pope with a powerful shot.
However, Newcastle equalized soon after, but a weak clearance fell to Hall, whose shot hit a City player before beating keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Although Haaland wasn’t on the scoresheet, he showed many other attributes in his game, his exquisite cross met by O’Reilly and his header past Pope.
City were not as effective as their attackers after the break, but they defended tenaciously when necessary and were always a threat on the counter-attack.
They currently have 56 points from 27 games. If Arsenal fail to beat Tottenham on Sunday, City will feel firmly in control of the title race.
Coach O’Reilly said he was “very happy” with the goal and the three points.
“Winning was the most important thing. We closed the gap and applied as much pressure as possible,” he told TNT Sports.
“I’m very happy with the two goals. It’s my dream to win (the Premier League).”
Asked if City, unbeaten in eight games, could win the title, he added: “Yes, absolutely. We always believe we can win games.”
In other games on Saturday, Aston Villa’s slim hopes of winning the Premier League title were dealt a blow with a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United, while Chelsea’s top-four ambitions were hurt as they dropped two points to relegation-placed Burnley.
Anton Stach’s stunning free-kick past Emiliano Martinez in the 31st minute looked to have given Leeds a vital victory at Villa Park, but substitute Tammy Abraham equalized late on.
Chelsea moved up to fourth place on goal difference, ahead of Manchester United, but a 1-1 home draw with Burnley meant they had dropped two points for the second week in a row.
Joao Pedro’s goal put Chelsea in the lead, but Wesley Fofana received a second yellow card and Chelsea were reduced to 10 men, before Burnley equalized in stoppage time with Jean Fleming’s goal.
Brighton’s James Milner broke his record for Premier League appearances in the 2-0 win over Brentford.
The 40-year-old former Manchester City and Liverpool player made his 654th appearance, surpassing Gareth Barry.
West Ham had chances to put pressure on Nottingham Forest and Spurs in the relegation battle, but they ended up in a hard-fought draw with visiting Bournemouth. This is the sixth consecutive stalemate between the two teams in the Premier League.
