Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City moved one step closer to clinching a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title following their 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening.
The Norwegian striker scored City’s first-ever league goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium early in the second half by tapping in a precise cross from Kevin De Bruyne. He then added a late penalty to secure the three points.
Pep Guardiola’s squad now sits two points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the table. Should West Ham defeat the Gunners on Sunday at the Etihad, they would have won the title for a record four times in a row.
In the history of the English premier league, no side has ever won four championships in a row.
Aston Villa’s fourth-place finish in the Champions League ensures that they will play in Europe’s premier competition next season, along with City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, should Spurs lose.
Before the match in north London, there was a heated argument among home supporters about whether they wanted their side to lose so that City would be in the lead and Arsenal would be their closest rivals.
“Stand up if you hate Arsenal” was a chant heard across the stadium in the first few minutes as Spurs fans made their anger against their bitter local rivals evident.
After both teams swiftly composed themselves, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s raking ball to Brennan Johnson on the right gave Spurs their first opportunity at goal.
Rodrigo Bentancur squared up to Johnson, and he fired a powerful shot that Ederson parried.
After fifteen minutes, Phil Foden attempted a close-range shot, but Spurs custodian Guglielmo Vicario stopped it with a strong right hand.
Spurs found it difficult to put the finishing touches on their attacking plays, while City, entering the game on a 21-game winning streak, lacked their fluid best.
Josko Gvardiol, a defender for City, had a chance to open the scoring near the conclusion of the first half, but both teams only managed one shot on goal in the first forty-five minutes of play.
Vicario had to dive full length shortly after the restart to fend out a stinging effort from De Bruyne, and Son Heung-min, who Johnson had found, came close at the other end.
However, City broke the tie in the fifty-first minute when Haaland scored from close range after Bernardo Silva’s ball to De Bruyne in the box.
As the City supporters rejoiced in their area, thousands of Spurs supporters screamed, “Are you watching Arsenal?”
Then, as Pape Sarr tackled De Bruyne on his ankle, the game became fragmented. Ederson was hit in the head while trying to stop Cristian Romero, and Stefan Ortega came on to replace him a few minutes later.
The German was called upon right away, using his legs to block substitute Dejan Kulusevski’s close-range attempt.
When Son broke through with five minutes of normal time remaining, the visitors’ hearts were in their mouths, but Ortega saved with his legs when it looked like he would score.
Dropping to the ground, Guardiola clenched his head in shock.
Instead, City was given a penalty when Pedro Porro pulled down replacement Jeremy Doku. In the 91st minute, Haaland scored, bringing his season total of goals in the league to 27, and the players celebrated wildly in front of the City supporters.
The treble-winning team from last year will be ready for Sunday’s championship game knowing that they are only ninety minutes away from writing another chapter in football history.
Photo by Backpagepix
