Man City produced a ruthless display to ease past Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday, with the hosts running riot with a 4-1 victory.
Many billed the game as a title decider, with the Gunners having sat five points clear at the top of the table heading into the match, with their opponents sitting in second place.
But that gap has now been reduced to just two points, with Man City boasting two games in hand over the Gunners, as well as having a better goal difference.
Man City star has improved Kevin De Bruyne
Much of the club’s joy this season has come through phenomenal striker Erling Haaland, with the young Norwegian quite simply never off the scoresheet.
He is breaking records in almost every match he plays, with Haaland unsurprisingly finding the back of the net against Mikel Arteta’s side in the 4-1 win. But his 95th-minute goal came after a John Stones header, which in turn came amid a fine double from De Bruyne.
It was a typically classy display from the Belgian, who according to former Man City defender Toure has upped his game thanks to the presence of Haaland ahead of him.
“Right now, Kevin De Bruyne is the best midfielder in the world in my opinion,” said Toure, as quoted by the official Man City website.
“Technically and tactically, he is outstanding and his vision in playing with Erling Haaland has only increased the level of his game. Every time Kevin has the ball, he looks for him. Haaland makes runs all the time into space.
“And because people are so focused on Haaland it opens up games for Kevin and that was what happened on Wednesday.”
Fantastic player management from Pep
Toure was also full of praise for Man City boss Pep Guardiola, who is the mastermind behind the club’s huge success over the years.
He orchestrated another superb win against the Gunners, with his management of players like De Bruyne helping ensure he gets the most out of his squad.
“People are so frightened when Haaland is running,” added Toure. “The centre-backs chase him, and it opens up a big space and Kevin can exploit that. He has been fantastic this season and I think Pep Guardiola is managing him very well.
“This season you can see he is fresh; he doesn’t get injured as when we are winning 3-0 or 4-0 they can rest him. It really is fantastic management from Pep.”
Man City to lift Premier League title?
As mentioned, Man City are now in a very strong position to go on and win the Premier League title this season instead of Arsenal.
Their 73 points mean they are just two behind Arsenal’s 75, with Man City’s goal difference seven better than their nearest rivals.
Guardiola’s men also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United to prepare for, as well as a huge Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid.
But given their squad and Guardiola’s successful rotation system, the Manchester outfit are more than capable of lifting the Premier League trophy once again.
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