Manchester City maintained pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal after securing an important 3-0 victory against Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to break down Brentford for long periods of the contest, but second-half goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush ensured City stayed firmly in the title race.
The result moved Manchester City to within two points of Arsenal, increasing the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of their clash against West Ham United.
City entered the match determined to respond after their damaging 3-3 draw against Everton earlier in the week had handed Arsenal control of the title race.
Jeremy Doku looked dangerous from the opening stages and nearly gave City an early breakthrough after forcing a save from Caoimhin Kelleher.
However, Brentford also threatened and almost capitalised on a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper struggled to deal with a long throw into the penalty area.
Manchester City found it difficult to create clear-cut opportunities in the opening half despite dominating possession. Haaland headed over from close range after being picked out by Doku before Kelleher produced another key save to deny the Norwegian striker moments later.
Nathan Ake also missed a golden opportunity from the rebound as frustration began to grow among the home supporters.
The visitors remained disciplined defensively while continuing to threaten on quick transitions, forcing City to remain cautious at the back.
Manchester City started the second half slowly and Brentford nearly punished them when Igor Thiago forced Donnarumma into a low save.
Guardiola reacted by introducing Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden in an attempt to inject fresh energy into the attack, and the substitutions immediately changed the momentum of the match.
City finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute through another moment of brilliance from Doku. After his initial effort was blocked, the Belgian winger reacted quickly before curling a superb strike into the top corner from inside the penalty area.
The goal lifted the Etihad crowd as Manchester City suddenly looked sharper and more confident going forward. Foden almost doubled the lead shortly after, but Kelleher once again came to Brentford’s rescue with an excellent save.
Despite City’s improvement, Brentford still posed a threat and appealed for a penalty after Kevin Schade went down following contact from Matheus Nunes, but the referee waved play on.
Haaland eventually eased City’s nerves in the 75th minute after reacting quickest inside the area. The striker back-heeled the ball into the net from close range after his initial effort had been blocked following a dangerous delivery from Antoine Semenyo.
Marmoush completed the victory in stoppage time with a composed finish inside the box to seal all three points for Guardiola’s men and strengthen City’s goal difference advantage in the title race.
Manchester City will now turn their focus to their upcoming clash against Crystal Palace before facing Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
