In its relentless pursuit of a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title, Manchester City notched another commanding victory, overpowering Brighton 4-0 on Thursday, with Phil Foden showcasing his peak scoring form with a brace.
Foden’s pair of first-half strikes interposed goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez, extending City’s unbeaten league streak to 18 matches while narrowing the gap to league leaders Arsenal to just one point. Liverpool trails by two points following their 2-0 setback against Everton on Wednesday.
With five matches left — one more than Arsenal and Liverpool — City remains resolute, showing no signs of faltering in the crucial run-in, which includes challenging away fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Fulham, and Tottenham, alongside home encounters against Wolverhampton and West Ham.
A clean sweep in these remaining fixtures would clinch the title for City, a feat unprecedented in English football history.
Since their goalless draw with Arsenal on home turf in March, City has surged, claiming victory in four consecutive league outings and netting 17 goals along the way.
Despite the absence of the injured Erling Haaland, the league’s joint-top scorer with 20 goals, City’s momentum has not waned, affording Foden the opportunity to stake his claim in the Golden Boot race.
Foden, tallying 16 league goals this campaign and 24 across all competitions, showcased his clinical prowess once more under the watchful eye of England coach Gareth Southgate at Amex Stadium, just seven weeks ahead of the European Championship kick-off.
De Bruyne broke his Premier League duck with a header off Kyle Walker’s cross in the 17th minute to open the scoring, while Foden doubled City’s advantage in the 26th minute with a deflected shot from a free kick.
Foden added a third in the 34th minute, curling a precise finish from inside the box after Brighton’s failed attempt to play out from the back.
Alvarez, deputizing for Haaland, sealed the victory with a composed finish in the 62nd minute, capitalizing on Walker’s penetrating run down the right flank.
In contrast to other top European leagues where champions have already been crowned, the Premier League stands as the lone battleground where the title race remains fiercely contested, with Bayer Leverkusen clinching the German league, Inter Milan securing the Italian title, and both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain enjoying comfortable 11-point leads in Spain and France respectively.
