Manchester City don’t slip up, beat Brentford and dream of the title | OneFootball

Manchester City did what it had to do and remains very much alive in the fight for the 2025-2026 Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s side beat Brentford 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on matchday 36 of the 2025-26 season and piled the pressure back on Arsenal thanks to a brilliant performance from Erling Haaland.

The Citizens came out determined from the very first minute, aware that any slip-up could all but knock them out of the title race. The intensity was high from the start, and the first chances soon arrived.

In the 18th minute, Bernardo Silva raised the alarm with a shot from outside the box that went just wide of the post. Shortly afterward, Haaland had the first clear chance of the night with a powerful header, though Caoimhín Kelleher responded confidently.

City’s pressure kept building. In the 29th minute, Jérémy Doku beat his man down the left wing and pulled the ball back for Haaland, who unleashed a thunderous left-footed strike from inside the area. The visiting goalkeeper managed to stop the first effort and then reacted quickly again to deny Nathan Aké on the rebound.

Despite the home side’s complete dominance, Brentford held firm for much of the match and even came close to springing a surprise early in the second half. Igor Thiago found space on the right and fired off a dangerous shot, but Gianluigi Donnarumma came up with a crucial save to keep the clean sheet intact.

Doku opened the show and Haaland closed the festival

That move ended up being the turning point. Just a few minutes later, City found the reward they had been searching for. In the 60th minute, Doku — the most dangerous player on the pitch — collected a loose ball inside the box, drove at the defenders, and drilled a precise right-footed shot to open the scoring and send the Etihad into raptures.

With Brentford forced to push forward, more spaces opened up, and that’s when Haaland took center stage. In the 76th minute, the Norwegian striker pounced on a loose ball inside the area and, surrounded by defenders, combined physical power, technique, and composure to produce a spectacular backheel finish that left Kelleher with no chance. A stunning goal to make it 2-0 and take his tally to 26 goals in this Premier League campaign.

But Haaland still had one last decisive contribution. In the closing minutes, the striker slipped a perfect assist through to Omar Marmoush, who calmly slotted home across goal with his right foot to seal the final 3-0.

The win not only reaffirms Manchester City’s excellent form, but also throws the title race wide open once again. With this victory, Guardiola’s side moved to within just two points of Arsenal and kept alive their dream of winning yet another Premier League in what promises to be a thrilling finish to the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.