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Man City close gap on Arsenal with comfortable win over Crystal Palace
Pep Guardiola rotated his squad as Manchester City secured an important 3-0 win ahead of the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 on Wednesday to remain firmly in the Premier League title race and move within two points of leaders Arsenal.
With only two league matches remaining, Pep Guardiola’s side maintained pressure on Arsenal after an efficient performance at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola rotated his squad heavily following the weekend victory over Brentford, leaving key players including Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku among the substitutes.
Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner also made adjustments to his starting lineup.
Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush in the first half gave City control before Savinho completed the scoring late in the game.
City entered the match knowing Arsenal had strengthened their position at the top after edging West Ham United 1-0, with a late West Ham equaliser disallowed following a VAR review.
Although Palace threatened on the break, City controlled possession for most of the contest.
The opening goal arrived in the 32nd minute after Phil Foden set up Semenyo with a smart backheel pass, allowing the forward to finish beyond Dean Henderson.
Foden then assisted again eight minutes later when Marmoush scored his third league goal of the season.
In the second half, departing defender John Stones received a standing ovation after coming on as a substitute.
City sealed the victory when Rayan Cherki surged forward from his own half before passing to Savinho, who scored from close range.
The result moved City onto 77 points, just two behind Arsenal, while also giving Guardiola’s side a superior goal difference advantage.
City will now face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday as they pursue another domestic trophy.
“When the schedule is so tight, everybody is fit, everybody needs to help,” Guardiola said before the match while explaining his team selection.
Despite the narrow gap, Arsenal remain favourites to lift their first Premier League title since 2004 under Mikel Arteta.
City’s final league games are against AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa, while Arsenal still have fixtures against Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace, currently 15th, will now focus on the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig later this month.
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