Manchester City and Aston Villa both missed key opportunities to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal after dropping points on a dramatic midweek night.
City were held to a 1-1 draw at home despite Erling Haaland scoring his 150th goal for the club from the penalty spot. Kaoru Mitoma equalised in the second half, as Pep Guardiola’s side failed to convert a series of clear chances. The draw marked City’s third consecutive stalemate, leaving them on 43 points, five behind Arsenal, who could extend their lead further with a win over Liverpool.
Haaland reached the 150-goal milestone in just 173 appearances across all competitions, achieving the feat faster than any player in Premier League history. However, his landmark goal could not secure all three points, with Guardiola later expressing frustration at his team’s wastefulness in front of goal.
Aston Villa also stumbled, playing out a scoreless draw away at Crystal Palace. The result leaves Villa level on points with City, but similarly unable to capitalise on Arsenal’s position at the top.
Elsewhere, Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fulham despite equalising after going down to 10 men following Marc Cucurella’s red card. New head coach Liam Rosenior watched from the stands as his team fell short, with Harry Wilson scoring the decisive goal for Fulham.
In other action, Antoine Semenyo struck a late winner for Bournemouth against Tottenham, while Manchester United, still without a permanent manager, were held by struggling Burnley.
