Man City back on top after thrashing Luton
Manchester City provisionally climbed to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing lowly Luton Town 5-1 on Saturday, with Daiki Hashioka scoring an own goal off his face and Erling Haaland netting his 20th league goal of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s champions have 73 points with six games remaining in a rip-roaring three-way title race, two points ahead of both Arsenal and Liverpool, who can climb over City with victories in their respective games on Sunday. Relegation-threatened Luton Town are 18th and a point shy of the safety zone.
City got on the scoreboard inside 70 seconds after Jeremy Doku’s shot was deflected to Haaland, whose volley smashed hard off poor Hashioka’s face and into the net.
Mateo Kovacic doubled City’s lead in the 64th minute, picking the ball up at the edge of the box and launching it into the top corner. Haaland then scored from the penalty spot in the 76th after Doku was taken down in the area.
Ross Barkley capitalised on a City defensive blunder to pull one back in the 84th minute before Doku’s strike to the far corner after a dazzling dribbling display made it 4-1. Josko Gvardiol completed the one-sided contest by netting seconds before the final whistle.
In the day’s early kick-off, a dominant Newcastle United struck twice within 95 seconds as Alexander Isak’s brace helped them secure a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a vital result in their bid to qualify for European competition.
Newcastle, unbeaten at home since January, moved up to sixth place in the standings with 50 points from 32 matches, one ahead of Manchester United who have played a game less and visited Bournemouth later in the day. Spurs are fifth with 60 points.
Isak scored at the half-hour mark when Anthony Gordon got hold of a long ball, shook off Destiny Udogie and sent it through to the striker who entered the box, got around defender Micky van de Ven and found the net.
The hosts doubled their in less than two minutes when Gordon intercepted a back pass from Pedro Porro in the box, evaded Van de Ven and fired it at inside far post.
“I think especially here at St James’ with the crowd, if we can score back to back, quite close then it can feel like the stadium is suffocating you,” Gordon told TNT Sports.
“Trust me, I have been here as an away player and it definitely feels like that.”
Elsewhere, Matheus Cunha scored twice for Wolverhampton Wanderers in his first start in two months as relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest let a second-half lead slip in their 2-2 draw at the City Ground.
Cunha gave Wolves a first half lead with a superb solo goal, before the excellent Morgan Gibbs-White equalised on the stroke of halftime and Danilo put Forest in front before the hour-mark.
But a mistake from goalkeeper Matz Sels allowed Cunha to score his second and while the home side dominated much of the contest through possession and chances, they were unable to find a winner.
Forest, who are appealing a decision to deduct four points from them for breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules, have 26 points from 33 games, one point more than Luton in the relegation zone.
Brentford meanwhile secured a 2-0 home win over rock-bottom Sheffield United to end their winless run of nine Premier League games under coach Thomas Frank.