City two wins away from EPL title

AP:

TWO MORE wins.

That’s all that separates Manchester City from becoming English champions for an unprecedented fourth straight year.

The game is up, though, for Burnley, whose relegation from the Premier League was confirmed yesterday with a game to spare.

On a significant day at both ends of the standings, City racked up another big victory by routing Fulham 4-0 to climb above Arsenal into a two-point lead. The top two each have two games left, and Arsenal face Manchester United next today.

However Arsenal finishes the season, the title will be City’s if Pep Guardiola’s team beats both Tottenham away on Tuesday and West Ham at home in the final round on May 19.

“My players like to play with pressure. They are used to it,” said Guardiola, whose team has won five of the last six Premier Leagues. “The players enjoy this feeling.

“This season is the same – don’t think about anything other than the next game. Focus on winning the next game and then we will see what happens.”

Josko Gvardiol scored twice for City to enhance his status as an unlikely goal-getter for Guardiola, with the left back making it five in his last seven games. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also netted at Craven Cottage as City extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 33 matches.

No team in the 136-year history of English football has won the top division for four successive years. It is the latest record in touching distance of Guardiola’s City, who have also reached the FA Cup final against Manchester United on May 25.

Two of the three teams that came up to the Premier League for this season are sure to be heading back down to the Championship after one year.

It is not looking great for the third one either.

Burnley needed to beat Tottenham to stand a chance of a second straight season in the league but lost 2-1 to join already relegated Sheffield United in going down.

Luton lost at West Ham 3-1 to stand on the brink of being the third team relegated. They were given a reprieve, however, when fourth-from-last Nottingham Forest squandered a lead and lost at home to Chelsea, 3-2.

Forest are three points above Luton and have a superior goal difference of 12. In the final round of games next weekend, Forest visit Burnley and Luton host Fulham – and there has to be a huge, and improbable, swing in goal difference for Luton to survive.

Last season, all three promoted teams staved off relegation for the first time since 2018.

Yesterday’s Results

Nott’m Forest 2-3 Chelsea

Bournmeouth 1-2 Brentford

Newcastle 1-1 Brighton

West Ham 3-1 Luton Town

Wolves 1-3 Crystal Palace

Tottenham 2-1 Burnley

Everton 1-0 Sheffield Utd

Fullham 0-4 Man City