Pep Guardiola's team won their 11th consecutive match in the Premier League when they defeated Everton 3-0 in round 35.
The win at Goodison Park extended City's lead over Arsenal to four points with just three games remaining. The result was not unexpected, despite Sean Dyche's Everton impressing in the previous round with a 5-1 win over Brighton. The away game helped City conserve their strength for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid next week.
Gundogan shined with two goals and one assist. Photo: Reuters
Guardiola made four changes from the 1-1 draw with Real on May 10. He rested John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish and replaced them with Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez. These changes affected the visitors' play as they were slow to get into the rhythm despite having more possession.
In the first 35 minutes, Man City had difficulty getting the ball into the opponent's penalty area. Erling Haaland did not have any shots. The away team also faced the risk of being counter-attacked on the left wing, where Manuel Akanji had to play out of position.
However, Ilkay Gundogan's moment of brilliance put City ahead. The German midfielder controlled Riyad Mahrez's cross with his thigh and then hooked the ball away with the next touch, leaving Jordan Pickford unable to reach the ball. The visitors doubled their lead just two minutes later.
Haaland increased his Premier League scoring record to 36 goals. Photo: AP
Gundogan continued to contribute with a dribble and cross from the left wing. With his superior height, Haaland easily occupied the space and his close-range header gave Pickford no chance to block. Leading by two goals at the break, Man City returned to the field comfortably.
They even added another goal early in the second half from a superb free-kick by Gundogan. With two goals and one assist, the 32-year-old midfielder was given a match-high Whoscored rating of 9.1. The Guardian said that Gundogan's performance showed why Man City did everything they could to keep him last summer, when his contract expired.
Everton tried to find an equalizer in the remaining minutes, but luck seemed to elude the home team. Yerry Mina could not put the ball in the net in a chaotic situation. A few minutes later, James Tarkowski headed the ball against the crossbar of the away team's goal. Still from a corner kick, Mina headed the ball off the ground, narrowly missing the goal.
With a four-point lead over Arsenal with three games left, Man City need to win one and draw two of their remaining three games to claim the title. If they do, it will be Guardiola's third consecutive Premier League title and fifth in the last six years. In the remaining three games, Man City will play Chelsea at home, visit Brighton and then host Brentford in the final round.
Quang Huy
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