MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City moved within three points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
There were fan protests at the Etihad Stadium following the Premier League’s announcement on Monday that City have been charged with more than 100 breaches of financial rules. The response on the pitch was for Pep Guardiola’s team to comfortably see off Villa thanks to goals from Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, plus a Riyad Mahrez penalty, all before half-time.
Ollie Watkins pulled a goal back for the visitors in the second half but, except for a late flurry of Villa chances, a City slip-up ahead of their trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Wednesday never looked likely.
Rapid reaction
1. Galvanised City pile the pressure on Arsenal
On the morning of City’s 4-2 win over Tottenham on Jan. 19, Arsenal were eight points clear at the summit of the Premier League table, and City were desperately trying to make up ground. But if they win at the Emirates on Wednesday, Guardiola’s team will be top, having closed the gap in less than a month.
Arsenal, without a win in their last three games, are stuttering, allowing City to stay in touching distance ahead of what could be an early title showdown in north London this week. City have had a rough patch of their own but they looked galvanised against Villa at the end of a week which saw them charged with breaching financial rules by the Premier League.
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Amid an atmosphere that felt whipped up by the allegations, which are still working their way through a formal review process, the game was over by half-time as City raced into a fast 3-0 lead.
During a run of lacklustre performances — particularly home and away against Tottenham — Guardiola has repeatedly asked for a reaction from his players and the fans. This week, the Premier League did his job for him and City played like a team with a point to prove. After a torrid week, the only downside for Guardiola was an injury to Erling Haaland, which forced the striker off at half-time.
2. Fan anger at Premier League charges boosts Man City
Facing the media for the first time since the Premier League charges in a news conference on Friday, Guardiola had a choice between staying quiet and regurgitating the club statement, or launching an impassioned defence. He chose the latter, and it seemed to whip up the City fans who came to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The team bus was greeted with blue flairs and chants of “City going down with a billion in the bank” — a reference to the possibility that City could be relegated if they are found guilty of more than 100 breaches of financial rules. As soon as the game kicked off, there were also chants in support of Guardiola and owner Sheikh Mansour.
