Manchester City Extend Lead at the TopManchester City Extend Lead at the Top Manchester City tightened their grip on the Premier League title race with a dominant 4-1 victory over Southampton on Sunday afternoon. The win moved Pep Guardiola’s side four points clear of Arsenal, who have a game in hand. The Citizens started the game in blistering fashion, taking the lead after just seven minutes through Erling Haaland. Kevin De Bruyne doubled the advantage midway through the first half with a stunning strike from outside the box. Despite a brief Southampton rally, which saw them pull a goal back through Sekou Mara, City restored their two-goal lead before the break thanks to Riyad Mahrez. The second half was a more controlled affair for City, who added a fourth goal through Julián Álvarez in the second period. The victory extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games. Haaland’s goal was his 27th in the Premier League this season, putting him eight goals clear of Tottenham’s Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot. De Bruyne’s goal was his first in the league for almost a year and showed the Belgian is back to his best form. City’s victory was all the more impressive given that they were without several key players due to injury, including captain Ilkay Gündoğan, Ruben Dias, and Aymeric Laporte. Arsenal, who face Chelsea in a London derby on Tuesday night, will be hoping to close the gap when they play their game in hand. However, City’s relentless form and squad depth make them heavy favorites to retain their Premier League title. The victory also marked a special milestone for Guardiola, who became the first manager to win 200 Premier League games in the fewest number of matches (263).
