Manchester City halved Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to three points with a 3-0 win over visitors Fulham, while Aston Villa stayed in the frame with a late 1-0 victory at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.
Sunderland’s season-long unbeaten home record was ended as Liverpool won 1-0 to boost their top-four hopes.
Nottingham Forest squandered a chance to move away from the bottom three as they drew 0-0 with bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers, while second-bottom Burnley priduced a remarkable 3-2 comeback win at Crystal Palace to boost their survival hopes.
City have little margin for error in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal, who are at Brentford on Thursday, but came up with a clinical display to dispose of Fulham.
Three goals in a 15-minute spell in the first half secured the points for Pep Guardiola’s second-placed side who moved to 53 points from 26 games and kept the pressure on Arsenal.
Antoine Semenyo poked City ahead in the 24th minute and then set up Nico O’Reilly with a pinpoint pass for the second.
Phil Foden then found Erling Haaland who dispatched a shot for his 22nd league goal of the campaign to confirm City’s 17th successive Premier League win against Fulham, the longest run by one team over another in the competition.
“The team in certain moments is growing, people are coming back. It is really, really important,” Guardiola said.
BRIGHTON OWN GOAL HANDS VILLA WIN
Villa’s slender title chances appeared to be ebbing away as they laboured at home to Brighton.
But they secured the points when the visitors’ Jack Hinshelwood put through his own goal after 86 minutes. Brighton midfielder James Milner, 40, came off the bench for his 653rd top-flight appearance, equalling Gareth Barry’s record.
Captain Virgil van Dijk was on target for Liverpool as they became the first team to leave Sunderland’s Stadium of Light with three points this season.
The Dutchman met a Mohamed Salah corner just past the hour mark and the ball crossed the line despite the efforts of Sunderland’s Habib Diarra to keep it out.
Liverpool are in sixth place with 42 points, two behind Chelsea who drew 2-2 at home to Leeds United on Tuesday.
