LONDON: Manchester City beat stumbling Arsenal 2-1 on Sunday to take charge of the Premier League title race as Liverpool strengthened their push for a Champions League place.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have been in pole position for months but are wobbling at the worst time as they seek to win the English title for the first time in 22 years.

Erling Haaland was City’s matchwinner, netting in the 65th minute after Rayan Cherki’s superb opener was cancelled out by Kai Havertz, who took advantage of a huge mistake by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Arteta was on his knees in the closing minutes as Havertz headed over the bar when presented with a golden chance to equalise.

The result in front of City’s jubilant fans means that if Pep Guardiola’s City win their match at Burnley in midweek, they would be top of the table.

The are now in pole position to win their seventh Premier League title in nine seasons, while Arsenal face the agony of finishing second for the fourth straight season.

Earlier, Virgil van Dijk scored a last-gasp winner in the Merseyside derby.

Just a few weeks ago the battle for the top five, which guarantees entry into the Cham­pions League, looked as though it might be tight.

But fifth-placed Liverpool’s 2-1 victory in their first match at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium took them seven points clear of stumbling Chelsea, in sixth spot.

Captain Van Dijk was the hero for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, heading Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner past a helpless Jordan Pickford in the 100th minute.

“Today was massive in the situation that we are, in hunt for the Champions League spots,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “That is definitely not Liverpool-worthy, in my opinion, but it is the reality and it was important we got the win.”

Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring for last season’s champions, slotting home in the first half following a superbly-weighted pass from Cody Gakpo.

The goal took the wind out of the sails of David Moyes’s team but they were level through Beto within 10 minutes of the restart.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, on the left of Everton’s forward line, fired across goal for Beto to attack and he poked home ahead of an onrushing Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was imm­e­d­aiately stretchered off to be replaced by Freddie Woodman.

The game looked destined to end in a draw but the officials signalled 11 added minutes and Van Dijk had the last laugh.

Fourth-placed Aston Villa squandered a two-goal lead against Sunderland but scored in stoppage time to win 4-3.

Ollie Watkins scored twice for Villa, who moved level on 58 points with third-placed Manc­hester United, three clear of Liverpool.

Villa were in total control at 3-1 ahead but nearly threw it away as first Trai Hume and then Wilson Isidor scored within a minute of each other for Sunderland.

But there was still time for Tammy Abraham to grab a dramatic late winner.

“What a position we are in: semi-final of (a) European competition (Europa League) and pole position to qualify for top five,” said John McGinn.

“We can go and achieve what not many Aston Villa players have done for a long time. We’re keen to do that and we’re driven — five big games left to try and get ourselves over the line.”

At the other end of the table, Morgan Gibbs-White netted a hat-trick as struggling Nottin­gham Forest came from behind against Burnley to win 4-1.

Forest, involved in a relegation scrap with West Ham Uni­ted and Tottenham, are now five points clear of 18th-placed Spurs, with Wolves and Burn­ley almost certainly doomed. West Ham, a point above Spu­rs, travel to face Crystal Palace on Monday.

SPURS IN RELEGATION ZONE

On Saturday, Brighton and Hove Albion’s stoppage-time 2-2 draw at Tottenham left Spu­rs stuck in the Premier League relegation zone while Matheus Cunha fired Manc­hester United towards the Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea.

Georginio Rutter’s late equ­a­l­iser against Brighton denied Tottenham a first league win of 2026, with the north London club stranded in 18th place in the table.

Xavi Simons’ stunning stri­ke in the 77th minute seemed set to earn Spurs a long-awaited win before Rutter fired high into the net deep in stoppage time.

Pedro Porro had headed Spurs in front in the 39th minute, but Brighton equalised in first-half stoppage time through a sublime volley from substitute Kaoru Mitoma.

In Saturday’s late match, Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defence ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league def­eat for the Blues left their Cha­m­pions League hopes in ruins.

United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite com­­petition for the past two seasons but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under Michael Carrick.

Cunha swept home Bruno Fernandes’ cross just before half-time to open up a 10-point gap between the Red Devils in third and Chelsea in sixth.

“It was massive for us, a big win,” said Carrick. “To come here and keep a clean sheet like we did, and defend the way we did, I thought it was a magnificent performance.”

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2026