Manchester City heightened the pressure on Premier League frontrunners Arsenal by easily securing a 3-0 victory against Fulham on Wednesday, reducing the deficit at the top to three points.
Pep Guardiola has pursued answers to his team’s second-half downturns that have led to the loss of valuable points in the championship battle.
City had the task completed by half-time with three goals in 15 first-half minutes from Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly, and Erling Haaland, achieving a 20th straight win over Fulham in all competitions.
Arsenal can extend their advantage to six points when they face a resurgent Brentford on Thursday.
However, the Gunners’ lead has shrunk from nine points to three within four days, providing City the chance to prevent them from securing their first league title in 22 years.
Manchester City capitalized on the momentum of a thrilling late comeback to defeat Liverpool 2-1 for a rare victory at Anfield on Sunday.
The January acquisitions of Semenyo and Marc Guehi have provided attacking strength and defensive solidity to boost City’s title pursuit.
Semenyo netted his fifth goal since transferring from Bournemouth after Sander Berge unintentionally redirected Matheus Nunes’ cross towards his own net.
The Ghana international subsequently set up O’Reilly, who effortlessly lifted the ball over Bernd Leno following a swift counterattack.
Haaland remained composed to net from the penalty spot during stoppage time for City’s first victory at Anfield in front of fans since 2003 on Sunday.
However, the Norwegian stated he needed to enhance his performance after scoring only once from open play in the last 13 matches.
Haaland netted his initial non-penalty Premier League goal since December 20 by striking into the bottom corner from outside the box at 39 minutes.
Guardiola seized the opportunity to give Haaland a rare break during the second half, substituting him with Omar Marmoush.
Fulham almost recovered from a 5-1 deficit in a 5-4 nail-biter during their last encounter in December.
City once more couldn’t sustain their first-half intensity in the second period, but this time it had no repercussions as they challenged Arsenal.
