Erling Haaland was the driving force as Manchester City moved to the summit of the Premier League with a commanding 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday, while Chelsea staged a second-half comeback to earn a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle.
City’s win extended their strong run to seven straight victories across all competitions, piling pressure on Arsenal, who can reclaim top spot when they face Everton later. West Ham, however, were left rooted in the relegation zone after another disappointing outing.
The match at the Etihad Stadium took an early turn when Haaland struck inside five minutes. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola initially kept out the Norwegian’s effort, but the rebound fell kindly for the striker to lash the ball into the top corner.
Haaland later turned creator just before the break, setting up Tijjani Reijnders to score his first goal for City. West Ham missed several opportunities to pull one back early in the second half, a wastefulness they were made to pay for.
Haaland sealed the win 21 minutes from time, capitalising on another loose ball to score his 38th goal of the season for club and country, moving City a point clear of Arsenal at the top.
At St James’ Park, Chelsea remained fourth despite an inconsistent run of form, thanks to a spirited fightback that eased pressure on manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues had won only once in their previous five league matches, threatening to derail their title ambitions.
Newcastle dominated the first half and raced into a 2-0 lead through a brace from Nick Woltemade. Chelsea responded after the break, with Reece James curling home a fine free-kick before Joao Pedro capitalised on a defensive error by Malick Thiaw to draw the visitors level.
Newcastle were left frustrated late on as appeals for two penalties and a red card for James were waved away, leaving Eddie Howe’s side stuck in 11th place.
Reflecting on recent results, Maresca said he was encouraged by his team’s direction, pointing to wins over Everton and Cardiff City and the draw against Newcastle as signs of progress.
Elsewhere, Liverpool will look to continue their recent improvement when they visit Tottenham without Mohamed Salah, who has departed to represent Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. The champions are unbeaten in five games and could climb to fifth with a win, while Spurs, sitting 13th, remain under pressure to secure a rare home victory.
At Molineux, Wolves’ struggles continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Brentford, with Keane Lewis-Potter scoring both goals to lift the visitors clear of relegation danger. Wolves are still without a league win this season.
Burnley snapped a seven-match losing streak after Armando Broja scored a stoppage-time equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo had earlier given the Cherries the lead, but they have now gone eight games without a win.
Sunderland edged up to fifth place following a goalless draw away at Brighton.
