Manchester City are timing their title run-in perfectly, to give Pep Guardiola a fine chance of a seventh title in a decade and to break Arsenal’s hearts yet again.
For fans of each team squeaky posterior time is officially entered. For the neutral the final 11 matches for City and the Gunners promise to be a cannot-miss spectacle.
By early Sunday evening Mikel Arteta’s side will be down to 10 games and 30 points left to play for, after they travel to Tottenham. Emerge as victors from the north London derby and their advantage will be five points, with one match fewer to play, but after this City win over Newcastle it is a mere two so a severe test of nerve awaits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
City moved to 56 points with a goal difference of 31 (one fewer than the Gunners) courtesy of Nico O’Reilly’s first-half double. Towards the end Rayan Aït-Nouri could have calmed home tension when scampering free but a miskick in front of Nick Pope’s goal enabled Newcastle’s keeper to collect the ball.
So the game finished 2-1 as City reeled off a 17th consecutive home league victory over the visitors, Eddie Howe’s men managing only Lewis Hall’s 22nd-minute equaliser.
