MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 BRENTFORD: Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush scored the all important goals to ensure Pep Guardiola’s side remain in touch with Arsenal in the title race
It may not rival Vincent Kompany’s wonderstrike vs Leicester or Rodri’s historic winner in Istanbul when it comes to the pantheon of great Manchester City goals.
But for the third time in a week, Jeremy Doku delivered when his team needed him most to keep them alive in the title race – and to pile the pressure back on Arsenal ahead of their seismic showdown with relegation-haunted West Ham on Sunday.
After Doku’s 97th minute screamer salvaged a draw from the jaws of defeat in Monday night’s game with Everton, City knew there was no margin for error when Brentford rolled into town at The Etihad. To put it bluntly, anything but a win would pretty much make it game, set and match Arsenal in the title race.
And for an hour, it seemed as though only a Gunners implosion of absolutely epic proportions would deny Mikel Arteta and Co the domestic crown they have chased and craved so gamely for the last few years.
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But then, Doku produced what is fast becoming the Belgian’s trademark, bending a superb strike beyond the statuesque Caiomhin Kelleher and into the top corner.
The collective sigh of relief from around The Etihad could probably be heard all the way back in London, where all eyes will now turn to an Arsenal side who have form for being ground down by City in the championship rounds.
Erling Haaland plundered a second before Omar Marmoush added some gloss to a victory which, momentarily at least, puts City back to within two points of their title rivals. If Doku’s opener settled the nerves, Haaland’s scrappy goal extinguished them altogether. Marmoush’s added time strike was the icing on the cake.
This was not as comprehensive as the scoreline may suggest, though. City were booed off at the break after failing to break Brentford down despite accumulating 15 shots and enjoying 31 touches in the Bees’ penalty area.
The rather large caveat to those statistics was that just four shots found the target. But just as frustrations threatened to reach a simmering point, City found a way. Just as champions do.
Victory will not completely shift the trajectory of the title race. City are still the hunters; Arsenal started the day with the advantage and they were always going to end it in the ascendancy after City dropped points at Everton.
But this win means a first domestic title in a generation for the Gunners is not quite the foregone conclusion it would have been had City been unable to breach Brentford. And it means it’s now Arsenal’s turn to cope with the weight of expectation that comes with leading the league three games out from the post.
There were mixed emotions even in spite of Doku’s late goal against Everton. It didn’t feel like a point was enough. That may still prove to the case – but it certainly now feels a much better point that it did five days ago.
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