Manchester City dominated Wolves with an impressive 5-1 victory, maintaining their challenge for the Premier League title as reigning champions. The match was highlighted by an extraordinary four-goal performance from Erling Haaland, including a hat-trick in the first half. Manchester City hit back strongly from Arsenal’s previous win against Bournemouth and took advantage of their game against the underprepared Wolves at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland twice netted the ball from the penalty spot in the first half, as well as scoring with a mighty header, and topped it off with a mesmerising fourth goal. Julian Alvarez, a substitute, also found the back of the net, while Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan provided the only response. This triumph inches City closer to an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row, trailing the Gunners by just one point and having a game yet to play.
In addition to his impressive overall score of 36 for this season, Haaland’s amazing performance widened his lead in the Golden Boot race and marked his ninth hat-trick for City. On the opposite end, Wolves players could find little reprieve from their scoring rampage, and their manager, Gary O’Neil, might have been thankful for his touchline ban that kept him out of sight.
Meanwhile, in a crucial match between Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s brace and a controversial goal from Ryan Yates ensured a 3-1 win for Forest. This significant victory, Forest’s first road win since St Stephen’s Day, saw them widen the gap from 18th-placed Luton by three points, with two more matches to go. Already relegated, Sheffield United conceded its 100th goal in the 38-game season, a dubious Premier League first.
The bottom table may look even favourable for Forest if they succeed in challenging a four-point deduction for financial irregularities, with a verdict expected the following week. Should they regain even a single point, Burnley would be essentially condemned to relegation considering Forest’s better goal difference.
The Blades’ appalling season crashed even lower when Hudson-Odoi’s second marked their 100th conceded goal. They made history as the first Premier League team to accumulate a hundred goals in a single 38-game season, taking the spotlight from Swindon who had achieved the same feat over 42 games during the 1993-94 season.
In another matchup, Newcastle United resoundingly defeated Burnley 4-1 in a game at Turf Moor, pushing Burnley closer to dropping out of the Premier League and reviving their own chances of qualifying for the Europa League. Despite starting off strong, Burnley’s hopes were diminished when Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes found the back of the net, securing a hefty lead for Newcastle before the second half. An additional goal from Alexander Isak sealed Burnley’s fate, moving Newcastle up to the sixth position.
Burnley’s unfortunate run continued when Forest gathered another victory, leaving them five points adrift from safety with only two matches left. As the match neared its end, only a handful of Burnley supporters were left to witness Dara O’Shea’s late goal, a mere consolation in the face of defeat.
Elsewhere in London, Brentford and Fulham played a goalless draw. Brentford’s Ivan Toney’s scoreless streak extended to 10 matches, his longest dry spell since his stint at Peterborough in 2019. As for Fulham, Raul Jimenez squandered their best chance of securing victory.-