Manchester City kept the Premier League title race buzzing with a 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush, closing the gap on leaders Arsenal to two points with three games to go.
City have 74 points from 35 games, but the draw against Everton on Monday means Arsenal, who visit relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday, will have to squander points in one of the remaining games to have a chance of winning the title.
“When you play for Manchester City you think about titles every day,” Haaland said of his team’s title hopes.
City dominated for much of the match at The Etihad but Brentford held firm before Doku, City’s best player of the night, produced a brilliant moment on the hour, cutting in from the left and curling a right-foot shot into the top corner.
Haaland gave City a two-goal buffer when he bundled the ball into the net after 75 minutes.
In what was far from the prettiest of goals, Antoine Semenyo cut the ball back for Haaland, whose shot was blocked. However, the big Norwegian managed to put the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher and into the net for his 26th league goal of the season.
Marmoush struck deep in stoppage time when he collected Haaland’s pass, took a touch and then smashed the ball over the keeper into the far corner to complete the win.
City remain unbeaten in the league since January in a brutal run that has turned the final weeks of the season into a breathless title chase.
Brentford’s loss was a blow to hopes of a place in Europe next term. It is eighth, four points away from the top six.
City had 25 shots to Brentford’s four and ten shots on target to the visitors’ two.
Phil Foden had some of City’s best chances, including one that forced a superb save from Kelleher, who managed to tip his shot just over the bar.
Brentford shouted for red cards twice, but to no avail.
Tempers flared in the first half as City captain Bernardo Silva and Nathan Collins battled for the ball and Silva punched Collins on the back of the leg as he fell.
Kevin Schade then went down late in the penalty area under pressure from Matheus Nunes, but after a VAR check it was decided that there was not enough contact for a penalty.
Published on May 10, 2026
