Manchester City beat stumbling Arsenal 2-1 on Sunday to take charge of the Premier League title race as Liverpool strengthened their push for a Champions League place.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have been in pole position for months but are wobbling at the worst time as they seek to win the English title for the first time in 22 years.
Erling Haaland was City’s matchwinner, netting in the 65th minute after Rayan Cherki’s superb opener was cancelled out by Kai Havertz, who took advantage of a huge mistake by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arteta was on his knees in the closing minutes as Havertz headed over the bar when presented with a golden chance to equalise.
The result in front of City’s jubilant fans means that if Pep Guardiola’s City win their match at Burnley in midweek, they would be top of the table. They are now in pole position to win their seventh Premier League title in nine seasons, while Arsenal face the agony of finishing second for the fourth straight season.
Van Dijk Winner
Earlier, Virgil van Dijk scored a last-gasp winner in the Merseyside derby. Just a few weeks ago the battle for the top five, which guarantees entry into the Champions League, looked as though it might be tight.
But fifth-placed Liverpool’s 2-1 victory in their first match at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium took them seven points clear of stumbling Chelsea in sixth spot.
Captain Van Dijk was the hero for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, heading Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner past a helpless Jordan Pickford in the 100th minute.
“Today was massive in the situation that we are in, hunting for the Champions League spots,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
“That is definitely not Liverpool-worthy, in my opinion, but it is the reality, and it was important we got the win.”
Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring for last season’s champions, slotting home in the first half following a superbly weighted pass from Cody Gakpo. The goal took the wind out of the sails of David Moyes’s team, but they were level through Beto within 10 minutes of the restart.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, on the left of Everton’s forward line, fired across goal for Beto to attack, and he poked home ahead of an onrushing Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was immediately stretchered off to be replaced by Freddie Woodman.
The game looked destined to end in a draw, but the officials signalled 11 added minutes, and Van Dijk had the last laugh.
Fourth-placed Aston Villa squandered a two-goal lead against Sunderland but scored in stoppage time to win 4-3.
Ollie Watkins scored twice for Villa, who moved level on 58 points with third-placed Manchester United, three clear of Liverpool.
Villa were in total control at 3-1 ahead but nearly threw it away as first Trai Hume and then Wilson Isidor scored within a minute of each other for Sunderland.
But there was still time for Tammy Abraham to grab a dramatic late winner.
“What a position we are in: semi-final of (a) European competition (Europa League) and pole position to qualify for top five,” said captain John McGinn.
“We can go and achieve what not many Aston Villa players have done for a long time. We’re keen to do that, and we’re driven — five big games left to try and get ourselves over the line.”
At the other end of the table, Morgan Gibbs-White netted a hat-trick as struggling Nottingham Forest came from behind against Burnley to win 4-1 and heap the pressure on troubled Tottenham.
Forest, involved in a relegation scrap with West Ham and Tottenham, are now five points clear of 18th-placed Spurs, with Wolves and Burnley almost certainly doomed.
West Ham, a point above Spurs, travels to face Crystal Palace on Monday.
