Man City keeps pressure on Premier League leader Arsenal with win over Newcastle

Manchester City trimmed Arsenal’s advantage at the Premier League summit to two points with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, setting the stage for a tense title run-in.

Nico O’Reilly struck either side of Lewis Hall’s equalizer, notching his first league brace and taking his personal tally to five goals in as many matches. The 20-year-old midfielder steered home a low finish in the 14th minute, replied to Hall’s curling effort eight minutes later with a looping header, and celebrated with teammates as City preserved the advantage deep into stoppage time.

The result stretches City’s unbeaten league sequence to five and completes a sequence of three consecutive wins over Liverpool, Fulham and Newcastle, form that has slashed the once-nine-point gap to Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal, held by Brentford and Wolves in their last two outings, now head into Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham with the knowledge that any slip will allow the champions to overhaul them.

Pep Guardiola, who spent the final minutes cajoling supporters to raise the decibel level, embraced his squad on the whistle and underlined the magnitude of the moment. “Seventy percent of these players have never been in this situation,” he said. “Every match until the end will feel exactly like today.”

City’s surge also opens breathing space beneath them. Aston Villa’s title hopes stalled after Tammy Abraham’s 88th-minute goal salvaged a 1-1 home draw with relegation-threatened Leeds, leaving Unai Emery’s side seven points adrift in third. Chelsea climbed to fourth, a point ahead of Manchester United, despite Zian Flemming’s 93rd-minute header earning Burnley a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool can draw level on points with Mauricio Pochettino’s team if they beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

O’Reilly, voted man of the match, urged calm amid mounting excitement. “It’s a lot of games to go; we just need to take each game as it comes,” he said. City will now watch from the sofa on Sunday, hoping derby fireworks in north London keep their renewed momentum burning.

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