Manchester City have overtaken Arsenal to take a place in the Premier League title race

Manchester City won 4-0 against Fulham on Saturday to leapfrog Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League and take a giant step towards retaining the title.

Pep Guardiola’s side, seeking a fourth straight crown, won thanks to a brace from Josko Gvardiol and goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez.

At the other end of the table, Burnley were relegated after losing 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur, while a 3-1 defeat at West Ham means Luton Town look set to join them in the Championship next season.

At Craven Cottage, City’s win took the defending champions to 85 points, two clear of the Gunners, with just two games remaining in the title race. The score in West London also means that City now trail Arsenal by just two Arsenals on goal difference.

Mikael Arteta’s side face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, hoping a win can keep the pressure on City.

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City face Tottenham Hotspur in London on Tuesday before playing West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the season on Sunday.

After the clash with United at Old Trafford, Arsenal take on Everton at the Emirates Stadium in the final game on Sunday.

City took the lead on 13 minutes after a free-flowing move that involved 19 passes, before Kevin De Bruyne fed Guardiol on the edge of the box.

The Croatian took two touches as he skipped through the Fulham defense before sending a low finish past Bernd Leno.

City doubled their lead in the 59th minute when Bernardo Silva broke into the area, his progress halted by a Joao Palhinha tackle, only for the alert Foden to tap home with a perfectly placed shot into the far corner.

Guardiola’s side struck again in the 71st minute as Guardiol stretched to turn Silva’s cross in with a nimble finish from close range for his fifth goal in his last seven appearances.

Alvarez, who came on for Erling Haaland in the 82nd minute, sealed a clinical performance, converting a stoppage-time penalty after Issa Diop brought him down. The French defender was sent off after receiving his second yellow card.

After the match, Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day: “Big players like to play with a lot of pressure. These players in recent years have been able to do it and we are in the final stages again. Our dream is as we said a few weeks ago when they (Arsenal) lost against Aston .Villa were to reach the final games with it in hand, to play West Ham at home with destiny belonging to us.

“We played really well and now we bounce back, we go back to Manchester, then we go back to London to play the final (against Spurs), the big final where we have to try and retain the title.”

Top scorer Gvardiol told TNT Sports: “Another great performance, not only from me but also from the team. It was a very good goal, but today we showed who we are and what we are ready for.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva told TNT Sports: “It was very difficult, the way we planned the game, the first goal had a huge impact. City control the ball, control the game and it takes a lot of energy from you. It also takes a lot of emotional energy.”

Fulham are currently 13th in the table and face Luton away in their final game on Sunday. Of the season overall, Silva said: “It was a successful season in the context of what happened in the summer, a difficult summer after a good last season.”

At the bottom of the table, Burnley were relegated after they were beaten 2-1 by Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Vincent Kompany’s side took the lead after 25 minutes through Jacob Bruun Larsen, but seven minutes later Spurs were level after Pedro Porro scored. Micky van de Ven then sealed victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side in the 82nd minute.

Defeat means the Clarets cannot catch fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest. Tottenham’s win means they still have a slim chance of catching fourth-placed Aston Villa to secure Champions League football next season.

Luton Town were also dealt a huge blow in their fight for survival as they lost 3-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium.

The Hatters took an early lead through Albert Sambu Lokonga’s sixth-minute opener before James Ward-Prowse equalized in the 54th minute. Tomas Soucek put the Hammers ahead before 19-year-old George Earthy wrapped up their win to outgoing boss David Moyes.

Elsewhere, Newcastle slipped behind fifth-placed Spurs as they drew 1-1 at home to Brighton. Joel Veltman put the Seagulls ahead after 18 minutes before Sean Longstaff equalized in first-half stoppage time at St James’ Park.

Updated: May 11, 2024, 4:40 p.m