Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

ERLING HAALAND MOVED joint-fourth on Manchester City’s all-time scorer’s list as Pep Guardiola’s side overpowered Fulham 3-0 to turn up the heat on Arsenal.

Haaland netted his 153rd City goal, moving him level with Colin Bell, in a comfortable victory at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday that trimmed the Gunners’ Premier League lead to three points.

Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring as he continued his superb start in City colours while Nico O’Reilly was also on target in a one-sided contest played in persistent rain.

All City’s goals came in the first half and, with the job apparently done, Haaland did not return for the second half.

After a recent dip in form, the Norwegian held his nerve to score a vital penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday and that may have reignited his campaign.

The goal that matched Bell’s career tally for the club – also his 29th of the season in all competitions – came in his 183rd appearance, a remarkable feat. Bell played 492 games for City.

The game was a stroll for City. They led 5-1 after 57 minutes in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in December and eventually scraped home 5-4, but there was little prospect of a similar fightback this time.

Fulham were as compliant as City could have wished for and repeatedly gave the ball away to allow the hosts to keep attacking.

It seemed only a matter of time before they broke through and Phil Foden, making his first start in four Premier League games, twice went close early on and O’Reilly fired narrowly over.

The opener came after 24 minutes when Matheus Nunes swung a cross in from the right and Haaland headed down for Semenyo to slide in and touch past Bernd Leno.

It was the winger’s fifth goal in eight appearances since joining City and his third against Fulham this season after netting two for Bournemouth in October.

Fulham had a chance against the run of play when Harry Wilson forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma but City instantly countered and doubled the lead on the half-hour mark.

Haaland was caught by Joachim Andersen during the charge forward but Semenyo took up the attack and fed O’Reilly, who showed composure to lift the ball over Leno.

City grabbed their third after Fulham again lost possession. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, who in turn fed Haaland on the edge of the box.

The Norwegian was clinical with a powerful strike into the bottom corner, his first league goal from open play since December.

There was a penalty check before the interval for an alleged hair-pull on Semenyo but nothing was given.

City eased off after the break and Fulham tried to rally but a lively burst by Wilson came to nothing.

The visitors were unable to build any momentum even as City’s intensity dropped.

Foden had a long-range attempt but lacked the power to trouble Leno while Josh King tested Donnarumma late on.

Aston Villa 1-0 Brighton 

Scrappy win for Villa. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Jack Hinshelwood scored a late own goal which handed Aston Villa a scrappy 1-0 victory over Brighton.

Tyrone Mings got the plaudits after his header forced Hinshelwood to put into his own net which took Villa back within six points of Arsenal in the title race, but more realistically a step closer to securing a place in the Champions League next season.

Fabian Hurzeler saw more pressure pile onto his shoulders after his side went a sixth game without a win to sit 14th in the table following consecutive losses.

Brighton introduced James Milner for Carlos Baleba for a record-equalling 653rd Premier League appearance inside the first period and went level with Gareth Barry, who has held the record since September 2017.

Following a stop-start first half, both sides started to play a little bit more football in the second period and Ferdi Kadioglu rattled the goalframe for the visitors and Milner seemed determined to get his name on the scoresheet.

After home defeats to Everton and Brentford, it looked like Villa would continue to stumble on their own patch before the winner and Mings thought he celebrated his 200th appearance in style with the winner before it was awarded to Hinshelwood.

Crystal Palace 2-3 Burnley

Burnley shocked Crystal Palace with a 3-2 comeback victory to end a 16-game Premier League winless streak and spoil Jorgen Strand Larsen’s Selhurst Park debut.

It all looked to be headed towards a dream introduction for the hosts’ Norwegian club-record signing, who made his first Eagles appearance in Sunday’s victory at Brighton, where the visitors halted their own 12-game skid without a victory in all competitions.

They dominated the beginning of the contest before Strand Larsen opened his Palace account with a 17th-minute opener, then nodded home a second 16 minutes later.

But Hannibal Mejbri clawed a goal back in the 40th minute and Jaidon Anthony drew the sides level four minutes later, before Jefferson Lerma’s own goal in first half added time ensured the visitors went into the break with what proved to be an unassailable lead.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Wolves

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche came under further pressure after his side were held to a 0-0 draw against rock-bottom Wolves.

Forest completely dominated at the City Ground, peppering their visitors’ goal with 35 shots, but could not find a way through.

Although the draw moves them three points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three, this was a big chance to give themselves an even bigger cushion over 18th-placed West Ham.

And Dyche’s position could now come under threat, having taken just two points from matches against Crystal Palace, Leeds and Wolves.

The wider run of just two wins in the last 10 league games will alarm trigger-happy owner Evangelos Marinakis, who was at the City Ground, and a third managerial sacking of the season now seems a possibility, especially as fans turned on Dyche at full-time.

Irish international Matt Doherty was an unused substitute for Wolves.