Manchester City has not given up in the Premier League title race. After a 3-0 victory over Brentford at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola's team has narrowed the gap with league leaders Arsenal to 2 points and continues to put great pressure on the opponent.
Before this round, Arsenal was once facing the opportunity to approach the championship after Man City's slip-up against Everton. However, The Citizens responded at the right time with an explosive performance in the second half against Brentford.
If the first half worried the fans at Etihad because of the familiar deadlock, the last 45 minutes showed the bravery of the team that has repeatedly dominated the Premier League under Guardiola.
The person who created the turning point was Jeremy Doku. The Belgian midfielder continued his sublime form with a familiar solo from the left wing and then launched a dangerous curling shot to open the score in the 60th minute. That was almost a perfect copy of the goal he scored against Everton earlier this week.
Doku is experiencing the most explosive period since the beginning of the season. Since April, the 23-year-old player has continuously made his mark in important goals for Man City, from Chelsea, Burnley to Southampton and Everton.
After the match, Guardiola praised his student: "He always has the ability to stir up the opponent's defense with dribbling technique, but now he knows how to make a difference with goals and decisive moments. Big players always have that mentality".
After Doku's opening goal, Erling Haaland doubled the gap with a delicate finish, marking his 50th goal for the club and national team this season. At the end of the match, Haaland also assisted Omar Marmoush to seal a 3-0 victory for Man City.
However, Man City's victory also caused controversy. Brentford argued that they deserved a penalty after Kevin Schade was affected by Matheus Nunes in the penalty area, but VAR did not intervene. The away team's coaching staff reacted strongly to referee Michael Salisbury's decision.
However, the most important thing for Guardiola at this time is that the championship race is not over yet. Man City has completed their mission and will now focus their attention on the match between West Ham and Arsenal.
Guardiola even ended the press conference with the saying "Come on Irons!" when mentioning West Ham United, a team that is fighting for relegation but could become a decisive factor in the fate of the championship race.
With Arsenal still having matches against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace, Man City understands that hope still exists. But from now on, they will no longer have the right to self-determination.
However, what makes Guardiola most satisfied is probably not just 3 points. After a period of decline at the beginning of the year, Man City is gradually regaining their familiar scary image in the sprint stage. The blue team has won 6 out of 7 recent matches in all competitions and the attack has begun to achieve explosive performance right at the most important time of the season.
Haaland's return to form along with the energy from Doku helps Man City become much more versatile in attacking situations. Guardiola has a squad with enough depth to maintain maximum pressure on Arsenal until the final round.
The Premier League title race is therefore still not over. Just need Arsenal to stumble once more, Man City can completely create a familiar spectacular comeback under Guardiola.
