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One more win needed to clinch a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title as they beat Tottenham to return top of the log.
Tottenham Hotspur put up a gutsy performance their North London rivals would be proud of, but it was insufficient to halt the unstoppable Manchester City Machine, who beat them 2-0 to return to the top of the log.
The Cityzens are in a direct shootout with Tottenham's crosstown rivals Arsenal for the the Premier League title. And despite the majority of Spurs fans, according to a Sky Sports poll, preferring their team to derail Arsenal's title ambitions by losing to City, Tottenham were true to the words of their manager Ange Postecoglou and put up a strong contest.
However, Manchester City proved too much for them, as two goals from the league's top scorer, Erling Haaland, earned Pep Guardiola's side maximum points and set them two points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.
How it happened
Tottenham started brightly, with Rodrigo Bentancur testing Manchester City's goalkeeper, Ederson, early on. However, Phil Foden almost capitalised on a defensive error from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the other end, but Guglielmo Vicario made a superb save to keep the scores level. These early exchanges set the tempo for then rest of the game, as it was a stiffly contested end-to-end affair.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, with few clear-cut chances created. Josko Gvardiol came close for Tottenham, but his effort went over the bar, summing up a lacklustre opening period.
Manchester City broke the deadlock in the second half through Erling Haaland. Kevin De Bruyne set up the Norwegian striker with a perfect pass, and Haaland made no mistake from close range to give City the lead. The goal prompted anti-Arsenal chants from some Tottenham fans in the stands, showing the animosity between both clubs.
Despite City's dominance, Tottenham had their chances. Substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega denied Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min with crucial saves to keep City's lead intact.
City sealed the victory when Haaland converted a penalty after Jeremy Doku was brought down in the box. The win puts City on the brink of a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title, while Tottenham's defeat ends their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
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