The strain is on Arsenal after Manchester City cut its lead on the tip of the Premier League to 2 aspects.
2nd-field City beat Newcastle 2-1 to flip the warmth up on the title traipse.
Victory on the Etihad Stadium piles the strain on chief Arsenal before Sunday’s (February 22, 2026) north London derby against Tottenham.
Read | Premier League aspects table: Manchester City closes in on Arsenal with rating over Newcastle
Nico O’Reilly scored both needs for Pep Guardiola’s crew and extended its unbeaten traipse in the league to five.
“The rating used to be the finest thing. Strive to prevent the gap apart from practice as worthy strain as that you might perchance well well imagine, nonetheless (I’m) also more than pleased with the two needs,” O’Reilly talked about. “Or now now not it is a ways a quantity of video games to head, we real want to grab every sport as it comes.”
City also moved additional decided of third-field Aston Villa, which drew 1-1 with Leeds. Chelsea is fourth after a 1-1 draw with Burnley.
City is the crew chasing down Arsenal, which has stumbled in most current weeks with handiest two wins in its last seven.
In distinction, City is discovering rep on the last notice time for a title traipse and floor out victory against Newcastle.
Guardiola and his gamers gave the impact to acknowledge how essential the result would be as they embraced every varied after the last whistle.
City on the march
The momentum is with City on the tip of the standings having in the discount of Arsenal’s lead, which used to be 9 aspects earlier this month.
Three straight wins against Liverpool, Fulham and Newcastle gain changed the complexion of the title traipse, while Arsenal has drawn relief-to-relief video games against Brentford and Wolves.
O’Reilly’s 14th minute strike assign City forward against Newcastle, nonetheless Lewis Hall leveled in the twenty second.
O’Reilly obtained his second with a header across goal five minutes later.
City defended deep in the second half of as Newcastle went attempting to catch an equalizer and held out for the rating.
“We obtained this present day, nonetheless it completely’s a step at a time,” talked about Guardiola. “Seventy p.c of the gamers never played in that explain (worthy for the title), and I invent now now not play. So we’ve got to are living it. They know, every person knows, that every sport except the stop of the season will be enjoy this.”
Villa’s drops aspects
Aston Villa’s title explain used to be hit after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to relegation-battling Leeds on Saturday.
It took an 88th-minute equalizer from replace Tammy Abraham to rescue a point for Villa — nonetheless the draw system Unai Emery’s crew would be cut additional adrift of Arsenal and Manchester City on the tip of the standings.
“There are two facets — one is that we lost two aspects, or that we obtained one point,” Villa coach Unai Emery talked about. “We gain 51 aspects. At the present time, we lost two, or we obtained one. At this point, with a minute of luck, we can rep the next matches, idea this point better.” Villa’s draw leaves it seven aspects in the help of Arsenal and persevered its shaky most current rep of real one rating in four in the league.
It might perchance perchance gain been worse after Aton Stach assign Leeds forward from free kick in the thirty first.
Abraham, a January signing from Besiktas, came on in the Seventy fifth and leveled from stop range for his first Premier League goal since his pass to Villa Park.
Leeds is seven aspects decided of the relegation zone.
Chelsea hit by unhurried goal
Zian Flemming scored in the 93rd at Stamford Bridge to salvage a draw for second to last field Burnley.
Joao Pedro’s goal in the fourth looked enjoy being ample for the house crew, which went all the system down to 10 men when Wesley Fofana used to be despatched off in the 72nd.
Read | Premier League: Chelsea, Aston Villa held in blow to Champions League hopes
“You want to be ruthless in this league because whenever you happen to invent now now not defend situation plays neatly then you rep punished,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “I felt we were very happy — and it’s not the way I want to play — just to maintain possession, I want us to go for more goals.” The point moved Chelsea as a lot as fourth — above Manchester United on goal distinction, having played a sport more. However the traipse for Champions League qualification would be even tighter by the stop of the weekend with Liverpool now having the possibility to pass level on aspects with Chelsea if it beats Nottingham Wooded field on Sunday.
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United plays Everton on Monday.
Milner gadgets novel Premier League file
James Milner played his 654th sport in the Premier League to situation a novel look file for the competition.
The 40-year-conventional Milner surpassed the earlier benchmark situation by Gareth Barry, which had stood since 2018. And he would now not sound enjoy he’s ready to name it a day but.
Read | James Milner breaks file for a total lot of appearances in Premier League
“I will preserve pushing, let’s behold where that takes us,” Milner talked about after Brighton’s 2-0 rating, which delivered a setback to Brentford’s Champions League explain.
Targets from Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck assign Brighton on high of things before the atomize on the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium.
Brentford is five aspects off the Champions League areas.
Adams returns from hurt
U.S. world Tyler Adams used to be relief on the sphere for Bournemouth — making his first look since tearing his left MCL on Dec. 15.
Adams used to be first and major lineup for the 0-0 draw against West Ham and played for 66 minutes before being changed by Ryan Christie.
Read | Will USA’s Tyler Adams be match for FIFA World Cup 2026?
Or now now not it is now real one loss in six for West Ham as its fight to preserve remote from the fall continues to compose momentum.
West Ham, in 17th, is two aspects remote from security, nonetheless has played a sport greater than its closest rival Wooded field.
