Manchester City thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, writes xrust, sending an ominous signal to Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday while bottom of the table Tottenham's relegation fears have increased.
Arsenal's shock 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday opened the door for chasing City and they took full advantage with second-half goals Nico O'Reilly, Mark Gehi and Jeremy Doku, who ensured their victory.
City have closed the gap to Arsenal to six points and, with a game in hand and a home match next Sunday against Mikel Arteta's long-serving league leaders, the title race is heating up again.
Roberto de Zerbi's first match in charge of struggling Tottenham failed to stop the club's downward spiral, with a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland leaving the London club in the relegation zone with six rounds left of the championship.
A tricky deflection from Nordi Mukiele's shot just after the hour sealed Tottenham's fate, extending their winless run in the league to 14 matches — their worst run since 1935.
Nottingham Forest earned a vital point in their fight to stay in the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at home to fourth-place Aston Villa. Crystal Palace bounced back from a goal down to beat Newcastle United 2-1 thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's late brace, including a stoppage-time penalty.
The last time Manchester City played in the Premier League almost a month ago, a draw away to West Ham United seemed to give Arsenal complete control of the title race.
But an impressive League Cup final victory over Arsenal, followed by an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, breathed new life into Pep Guardiola's side, with Arsenal's misfire on Saturday opening the door to the title race.
Manchester City took some time to assert their dominance over Chelsea, but the manner in which they demolished their hosts after the break would have left Arsenal shuddering ahead of next Sunday's big game at the Etihad Stadium.
By pages https://www.reuters
Xrust Manchester City sends a signal to Arsenal
