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Manchester City cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to two points with a comfortable 3–0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.
Centre-backs Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol set Pep Guardiola’s side on their way with a quickfire double before the break at the Etihad Stadium, before Phil Foden wrapped up the points after 65 minutes.
In a match reported by ESPN, Foden’s fifth goal in three games owed much to a moment of magic from Rayan Cherki, whose superb rabona cross set up the header, which crashed in off the bar.
The visitors finished with 10 men after substitute Luke O’Nien was sent off in stoppage time.
Read more: Manchester City boost champions League hopes with late 2-0 win at Everton
Prior to Foden’s strike, the Black Cats — who began the day in fifth place — had threatened to get back into the game. Instead, they were left to rue a slow start, while City, having held off fightbacks from Leeds and Fulham over the past week, were relieved to avoid another scare.
They now head to Real Madrid for Wednesday’s Champions League tie in confident mood, knowing their domestic title push is firmly back on track.
City needed patience to capitalise on Arsenal’s slip-up at Aston Villa and a slow first half-hour produced little excitement, although Enzo Le Fée went close from distance for Sunderland.
The breakthrough came through the unlikely source of Dias, who edged forward and thumped a 25-yard strike into the top corner in the 31st minute.
Sunderland barely had time to reset before City doubled their lead, Gvardiol timing his leap perfectly to head home at the back post from a Foden corner.
City almost made it three early in the second half when Jérémy Doku wriggled through and curled a low effort against the post, with Foden’s follow-up blocked.
That chance appeared to spark Sunderland into life. Dias was hurried into a mistake moments later, presenting Wilson Isidor with an opening, but Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted quickly to block.
Sunderland then went close again when Granit Xhaka struck the post from a corner, and the unusually quiet Erling Haaland was later denied by a header off the line from Lutsharel Geertruida.
City stepped up the intensity and Haaland, who had just two touches in the first half, launched a counter-attack with a powerful run. He fed Cherki, who checked back on the byline and delivered his sublime assist for Foden to nod in.
Sunderland’s misery deepened when O’Nien, on the pitch for just two minutes, was dismissed for a poor challenge on Matheus Nunes.
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