Manchester City ascended to the Premier League summit with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium, while Newcastle United stunned Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Saturday.
Amidst a demanding schedule, Pep Guardiola’s City side welcomed a relatively straightforward fixture between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. Guardiola made six alterations from the thrilling 3-3 draw in Madrid, and City seized control from the outset.
Erling Haaland’s shot deflected off Daiki Hashioka into his own net after just two minutes, giving City an early advantage. However, the floodgates did not open immediately, and the English champions had to wait until after the hour mark to secure the points. Mateo Kovacic converted Julian Alvarez’s cross from the edge of the box, putting City firmly in control.
Haaland, who scored five goals when the teams met in the FA Cup in February, added to his tally with a penalty, marking his 20th Premier League goal of the season. Ross Barkley netted a late consolation for Luton, but their hopes of Premier League survival remain slim with just five games remaining.
Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol also found the net for City, who now hold a two-point lead over Arsenal and Liverpool, both of whom have a game in hand. Liverpool host Crystal Palace on Sunday, aiming to recover from their Europa League defeat to Atalanta. Arsenal face Aston Villa, who moved back into the top four without playing on Saturday due to Tottenham’s heavy loss at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle’s victory was inspired by Alexander Isak’s brace, with Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar also contributing goals. The Magpies moved up to sixth place, keeping their faint hopes of Champions League qualification alive.
At the bottom of the table, Nottingham Forest moved one point clear of the relegation zone with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Wolves. Brentford’s first win in 10 games lifted them seven points clear of the drop zone, while Burnley’s survival chances dwindled after a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton.
