Manchester City took control of the Premier League on Wednesday evening. Pep Guardiola’s team won 1-0 at Burnley and now have the same number of points as Arsenal. The goal average is also identical, but thanks to a better goal difference, the Citizens occupy first place. For Burnley, on the other hand, it is time for the descent: after just one season in the elite, the club is relegated to the Championship.
Long favorite, Arsenal seemed to be heading towards their first title since 2004. But the considerable gap they had opened up with Manchester City evaporated: the Londoners lost the plot.
The Gunners, first beaten at home by Bournemouth (1-2), then dominated by City (2-1) last weekend, saw their lead dwindle to three points before Wednesday’s meeting.
The visitors, with Nathan Aké and Tijjani Reijnders on the bench, dominated the first half and created a clear chance through Rayan Cherki, whose shot hit the post after a deflection from Martin Dúbravka. Shortly after, Erling Braut Haaland opened the scoring (0-1), the Norwegian keeping his cool after being thrown deep by Jérémy Doku.
Burnley, however, regularly proved dangerous, notably through the Dutchmen Quilindschy Hartman and Zian Flemming. On the other side of the field, Dúbravka saved his team on several occasions.
After the break, Manchester City maintained their hold and even hit the post by Haaland, without succeeding in increasing the score.
The Clarets, 19th in the Premier League, maintained hope until the final whistle. The Londoners return to the second division after just one season. For its part, Manchester City is taking a giant step towards an eleventh league title.
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