Manchester City capitalised on Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at AFC Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola’s side then cruised to a 3–0 win over Chelsea after a dour first half, capitalising on Arsenal’s earlier slip-up. The Gunners still lead by six points but City have a game in hand and will host their rivals next weekend. Chelsea, meanwhile, slumped to a third successive Premier League defeat and remain sixth.
The first half offered little excitement as both sides played cautiously and avoided risks, with Chelsea’s defence sitting deep.
Man City struggled to carve out clear-cut chances, although Rayan Cherki, among others, should have done better from the edge of the box, only to fire tamely into the hands of Robert Sánchez.
City started the second half brightly, with Erling Braut Haaland being denied by a fine block from Jorrel Hato and Rayan Cherki’s follow-up effort deflected narrowly wide.
City’s next chance proved decisive: Cherki delivered a delicate cross that Nico O’Reilly nodded past the helpless Sánchez, 0-1.
Five minutes later, Cherki delivered a clever through ball for Marc Guéhi to finish clinically into the far corner for 0-2.
Jérémy Doku then pounced on a Moisés Caicedo error and slotted in the fourth: 0-4.
The contest was effectively over, with the only remaining suspense concerning the final margin. Both sides carved out openings thereafter, yet the 0-3 scoreline held firm until the final whistle.
Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Aké did not play a single minute for City. Meanwhile, Hato impressed at the heart of the defence and completed the full 90 minutes.