Manchester City beat Brentford 3-0 to move two points behind Arsenal and keep Premier League title race alive. Jeremy Doku was the star of the show, inspiring City to a must-win game with a superb second half opening goal.
Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a setback with 3-3 draw at Everton, but recovered to score three goals against Brentford to put pressure on league leaders, Arsenal. It was a frustrating first half for City, with Doku missing an early opener and Erling Haaland sqnadering chances to bury the ball in the Bees’ net.
However, Doku redeemed himself by curling sublime finish into the far corner in the second half. Haaland scored the second goal with 15 minutes remaining, while Egypt’s Omar Marmoush added a late third from the bench. Phil Foden, who also came off the bench, had a couple of chances denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
On Doku, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “He looks like the final product. Of course he can improve but he always had this incredible ability to dribble. The connection with Nico [O’Reilly] is extraordinary.
“But now he is winning games. I’m so incredibly pleased with Omar [Marmoush] as well. I had the feeling that not just Erling but the wingers and other attackers had to score goals and Jeremy has made this step.”
City have now extended their unbeaten run at home in the league to 16 games, after suffering a defeat in their opening game at Etihad Stadium to Spurs back in August. The three goals against Brentford also means that City’s difference stands at +40, just one adrift of Arsenal. From now on, any goal scored or conceded by the top two teams can prove to be decisive.
