Manchester City are timing their title run-in perfectly, to give Pep Guardiola a fine chance of a seventh title in a decade and to break Arsenal’s hearts yet again.
For fans of each team squeaky posterior time is officially entered. For the neutral the final 11 matches for City and the Gunners promise to be a cannot-miss spectacle.
By early Sunday evening Mikel Arteta’s side will be down to 10 games and 30 points left to play for, after they travel to Tottenham. Emerge as victors from the north London derby and their advantage will be five points, with one match fewer to play, but after this City win over Newcastle it is a mere two so a severe test of nerve awaits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
City moved to 56 points with a goal difference of 31 (one fewer than the Gunners) courtesy of Nico O’Reilly’s first-half double. Towards the end Rayan Aït-Nouri could have calmed home tension when scampering free but a miskick in front of Nick Pope’s goal enabled Newcastle’s keeper to collect the ball.
So the game finished 2-1 as City reeled off a 17th consecutive home league victory over the visitors, Eddie Howe’s men managing only Lewis Hall’s 22nd-minute equaliser.
Despite the 5,058 miles round trip, Howe stood down only Harvey Barnes from Wednesday’s 6-1 hammering of Qarabag, with Jacob Ramsey the replacement. Thirteen minutes in and he was part of a midfield that went awol when O’Reilly scored the opener.
Dan Burn ceded possession to Omar Marmoush clumsily. The Egyptian ran forward and squeezed the ball left; O’Reilly took a look, then fired beyond Pope, the goalkeeper’s right fingertips merely brushing the finish on its way past.
Delight for those of a sky blue stripe and reward for a fast, physical mode. Butthere was an instant warning. Anthony Gordon broke along the left, turned Marc Guéhi in the area and shot low, with Gianluigi Donnarumma saving.
Next, a similar counterattack forced two corners, and Newcastle equalised. Sandro Tonali dropped the second in, the ball came to Hall and his effort ricocheted off Aït-Nouri, defeating Donnarumma to his left.
City’s lead lasted eight minutes, Newcastle’s parity five. O’Reilly’s second was a leaping header that went in to Pope’s left after a smart Antoine Semenyo feed to Erling Haaland was complemented by a deft right-foot cross.
The Norwegian raised his fists to salute the goal – and his seventh assist – and an invigorating contest had its third goal in its 27th minute.
O’Reilly, part of the second bank of two with Semenyo in Guardiola’s 4-2-2-2, ahead of Bernardo Silva and Rodri, constantly pierced Newcastle and cast Howe’s 4-2-3-1 a tactical miscalculation, as Ramsey and Tonali were swamped by City’s central four.
Newcastle’s gameplan depended on profiting from a moment to score. Example: a Tonali free-kick was headed in by Burn but the centre-back was offside.
Rúben Dias’s sluggish pace forced him to haul down Gordon and he was booked, then substituted for the second period, the far quicker Abdukodir Khusanov coming on.
Soon after the break Hall curved a free-kick wide, then moments after Semenyo was off target, too, following a rapid central burst through wide-open opponents.
Before the hour Rayan Cherki replaced Marmoush and Barnes and Joelinton took over from Nick Woltemade and Joe Willock.
More chances followed. Anthony Elanga’s foray down the right ended with him crashing into the boardings before Semenyo, teed up at the other end, fluffed an attempt, Guardiola visibly disappointed.
At 2-1 Newcastle retained hope – and Arsenal, too – of a second equaliser at least. For a prolonged passage they pinned City back, the hosts unable to get up the field – a rarity.
As the four minutes of added time began, the substitute Phil Foden blazed at goal and Pope saved. Just before the close, City defended a corner at which Pope joined his outfield colleagues but still Guardiola’s men ended in the ascendancy.
You might not bet against them ending there, too, when the title is handed out in May.
