Manchester City beat Newcastle United 2-1 on Saturday night to cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to two points ahead of the North London derby.
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, applauds the fans after the team's victory in the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium
Manchester City cut the gap to Arsenal to two points with a win over Newcastle United on Saturday night
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"The present is beautiful," said Mikel Arteta on Friday as he looked ahead to Arsenal's game with Tottenham on Sunday. City will hope the Gunners can be the gift that keeps on giving.
Arsenal conceding a comical own goal in the final seconds at Wolves in midweek was a welcome present for Pep Guardiola and City, and the Blues capitalised by beating Newcastle on Saturday night to trim the gap at the top of the Premier League to two points.
Nico O'Reilly's brace proved the difference as City claimed a 2-1 victory to pile the pressure back on Arsenal ahead of Sunday afternoon's North London derby. The Gunners have fluffed their lines in recent weeks and on each occasion they have played after City this year, they've failed to win.
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This City side are far from the finished article, but despite the swathes of signings in recent windows, they still retain a host of Premier League winners who know what it takes in situations like this.
Saturday night's game ended with Erling Haaland flat on his back in his own penalty area having delivered a Herculean effort to preserve the lead. Guardiola beamed as the whistle blew and shortly after stood on the Etihad pitch and took it all in. The atmosphere, often criticised from outside, had crackled in the night air and it wasn't lost on the City chief.
"Today we had the best crowd of the year," said Guardiola. "It was unbelievable. I am really proud to be manager of these incredible fans."
When City needed a lift from the stands it arrived, there was relief at the final whistle and there were certainly a few nerves among the home supporters, but on the pitch the Blues largely kept Newcastle at arm's length despite the Magpies enjoying the better of the second half.
It was a resilient showing that title-winning sides produce. This City side might not be that just yet but if Arsenal falter for a fourth campaign running, the Blues are perfectly poised to capitalise. The Gunners will face questions about their bottle and ability to get over the line until they do get over the line. City have no such burden.
This week, Arteta, when asked how to stop the outside noise becoming too much for Arsenal, said: "You ask them the question: do you want to be part of the noise? Or not?"
The volume certainly ratcheted up at the Etihad on Saturday night. The reverberations will have been felt around the Emirates.
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