EPL: Arsenal thrash Man City 5-1 at Emirates

Arsenal defeated struggling Premier League champions Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

A five-star performance from Arsenal put them back within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

But Arne Slot’s side may look at this result and take some trepidation into the Merseyside derby next week.

Mikel Arteta’s side had no margin for error in the title race after leaders Liverpool won 2-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday to move nine points clear of the Gunners.

They rose to the occasion with a blistering performance inspired by Martin Odegaard’s opener after 103 seconds at the Emirates Stadium.

Erling Haaland hauled City level soon after half-time with his 25th goal in all competitions this season.

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But the careless mistakes that have hampered City throughout a dismal campaign proved decisive when Thomas Partey capitalised on Phil Foden’s poor pass to restore Arsenal’s lead.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s goal and late strikes from Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri put the seal on a masterful display as the Gunners closed within six points of Liverpool.

Liverpool’s game in hand keeps them firmly in control of the title race, but Arsenal’s vibrant performance extended their unbeaten run to 14 games and underlined their desire to push the Reds to the finish line.

City have now failed to win any of their last four league meetings with Arsenal as their six-game undefeated run in the top-flight came to a brutal end.

With a fifth successive title long erased from City’s ambitions after their wretched season, Pep Guardiola’s fourth-placed side are focused on qualifying for the Champions League.

But even that could be beyond them – let alone getting past Real Madrid in this season’s play-off round – unless Guardiola can fix the gaping holes in his defence and the lack of energy in midfield.

The Star