Arsenal strengthened their grip on the Premier League title race after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Brighton while Manchester City dropped points in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest.
The results leave Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the table, boosting their hopes of winning their first league title since 2004.
At the Amex Stadium, Arsenal took an early lead through Bukayo Saka, who marked his 300th appearance for the club with a goal in the ninth minute. His shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and finding the back of the net.
Brighton dominated possession for large parts of the match and created several chances, but Arsenal’s defence remained resolute to secure an important three points in their push for the title.
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s title challenge suffered a setback after they were twice pegged back by Nottingham Forest in a thrilling encounter. City took the lead but failed to hold on, allowing Forest to claim a valuable point.
January signing Antoine Semenyo impressed for City, scoring with a well-taken volley in the 31st minute. However, Forest responded strongly in the second half, with Morgan Gibbs-White levelling the score in the 56th minute with a clever backheel finish.
City quickly regained the lead when Rodri headed home from a corner six minutes later. But Forest showed resilience once again as Elliot Anderson produced a fine equaliser in the 76th minute to seal a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal will face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on April 19 in a fixture that could prove decisive in the race for the Premier League title.
In another major fixture, Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run as Manchester United manager came to an end after Newcastle United secured a dramatic 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.
Carrick had been on the verge of becoming only the third United manager to remain unbeaten in his first 10 league matches in charge, following Herbert Bamlett in 1927 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during the 2018–19 season.
Newcastle opened the scoring through Anthony Gordon, who calmly converted a penalty after being fouled by Bruno Fernandes in the penalty area.
Fernandes redeemed himself shortly before halftime by delivering a precise free-kick that Casemiro headed into the net to bring Manchester United level.
However, United struggled to maintain their momentum in the second half despite late attacking efforts. Newcastle eventually sealed the victory in the 90th minute when William Osula scored a stunning winner to give the home side all three points.
