With title in sight, Manchester City rarely show any weakness
- Discover how Manchester City’s relentless pursuit of victory keeps them poised for success as they strive for the title prize, displaying unwavering strength and determination on the pitch.
Arsenal was going to be severely let down if they thought Brighton would look for and take advantage of weaknesses in Manchester City’s lineup the way Everton mercilessly exposed Liverpool’s.
And the reason for this is that the defending champions seldom display any symptoms of weakness during this point in the Premier League season when the major prize is within reach and the pressure is at its highest.
Arsenal performed as promised on Tuesday, crushing Chelsea 5-0 at Emirates Stadium, and a day later, Liverpool crumbled in the scorching Goodison Park.
The Gunners are still unbeaten, a status they would have gladly accepted at the beginning of the season, but the way City destroyed Brighton on this rainy night on the south coast sounded a dire warning to anyone hoping to unseat them. With a game remaining against both of the teams that have made the title battle so fascinating this season, City moved ahead of Liverpool into second place and within one point of Arsenal thanks to this impressive and incredibly routine 4-0 victory. History indicates that Manchester City has a good probability of winning their final five games in order to win the Premier League for the fourth time in a row—that would be their sixth title in seven seasons. Arsenal will have a significant say in that, and Liverpool’s chances of winning the title now depend on mistakes made by others in addition to quickly reversing their own sharp dip in performance.
However, City has previously completed this length and distance, so they passed the finishing line first, and there was undoubtedly no indication of nervousness at the Amex Stadium.
Since their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in December, City has now gone eighteen games without a loss in the league, winning fourteen and drawing four. And when it counts most, their top-notch game-changers are operational. Brighton was outclassed, and even if Erling Haaland is absent due to injury, City always has a genius or two in waiting in the form of Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne. De Bruyne is well-known for almost everything save his heading, but he made a fantastic attempt to put City ahead here. His first header in 68 league goals came from a brilliant finish from Kyle Walker’s cross into the top corner. Does the legendary Belgian have any limitations? Before halftime, Foden added two more, turning what appeared to be a difficult match into a formality. His first goal came via a deflected free kick that was mistakenly given for a slip rather than a foul. Keeper Luke Steele was caught off guard by a decisive deflection off Pascal Gross, adding to Brighton’s anguish. Brighton’s high-risk tactic of playing out from the back helped him score his second. There is undoubtedly a place and a time, and in your neighborhood—where the youngster Valentin Barco is making his Premier League debut—that is neither.
These were Foden’s 50th and 51st Premier League goals for City; his strength merely gave manager Pep Guardiola’s arsenal of weapons even more strength. This season, sixteen such strikes have occurred.
To further highlight City’s overall performance, goalkeeper Ederson set up Julian Alvarez’s fourth goal with a precise 71-yard ball to Walker. The Argentine, who put in a lot of effort and deserved his reward, finally scored a goal after going eight games without one.
Chelsea was easily defeated by Arsenal, and while Liverpool’s reply at Everton was feeble, City made a decisive statement of their own at Brighton.
The Seagulls appear weary and are now depleted by injuries, but the way City went through the gears with ease suggested they could have defeated most teams with this attitude.
The focal point of everything is the incomparable Rodri, who won this match with ease and extended his unbeaten streak with Guardiola’s team to 69 games.
Unlike last season, Arsenal does not appear to be going away, though more will become clear following Sunday’s north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. Their goal needs to be to maintain winning and dream of traveling somewhere else.
The issue is that, at this point in the season, it would be uncharacteristic of the city to forget their lines. They’ve had a lot of success practicing them over time.
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