“Hopefully it goes our way” – Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo praying for Brentford win over Arsenal

Antoine Semenyo has admitted he will be an interested spectator on Thursday night when Brentford host Arsenal, hoping the Bees can hand Manchester City a timely favour in the Premier League title race. The 26-year-old Ghanaian, who opened the scoring in City’s 3-0 dismissal of Fulham on Wednesday, says he will be “sitting tight” for the west-London derby and “hopefully it goes our way.”

Semenyo’s fifth goal in City colours maintained the champions’ momentum after last weekend’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory at Liverpool. Pep Guardiola’s side have trimmed the gap to leaders Arsenal and still have 12 fixtures remaining, leaving the newcomer excited by what lies ahead.

“It’s new to me, to be honest! I’m enjoying it, but obviously it comes with a lot of pressure, a lot of demands and I think we’ve got the team to do it,” Semenyo told TNT Sports. “There’s 12 games to go, we just need to keep going.”

Since his £64 million switch from Bournemouth in January, the winger has eased the goal-scoring load on Erling Haaland, who struck twice in the past week to reach 22 Premier League goals for the campaign. Semenyo credits the squad environment for his instant impact.

“No secrets. I think it’s just being part of a great team, a great environment, the coach has been great, and they’ve made it easy for me to settle. It’s all a fairytale right now,” he said.

City also booked a Carabao Cup final date with Arsenal on 22 March, meaning the clubs could meet three times in quick succession if league and cup schedules align. Guardiola, however, is expected to keep his players focused on their own performances while outsiders like Brentford potentially shape the title picture.

For now, Semenyo plans to watch Thursday’s encounter and hope the Gtech Community Stadium scoreline aids City’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive league crown.