Leaders Arsenal put on a masterclass to overwhelm shell-shocked north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 away and extend the gap at the top of the Premier League to eight points on Sunday.
The Gunners flew out of the blocks from the opening whistle and built a first-half lead through a clumsy own goal by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris and a sublime strike from Martin Odegaard.
Tottenham were totally outplayed by a fired-up Arsenal side under Mikel Arteta who were determined to make amends for a loss at Spurs last season that ultimately cost them a top-four place.
They dominated the first half and battled gamely in the second, leaving Spurs boss Antonio Conte looking glum on the sidelines as he clapped his hands to rally his sorry side.
Striker Harry Kane, needing one more goal to equal Jimmy Greaves all-time Spurs’ scoring record, had chances either side of the break but keeper Aaron Ramsdale was equal to them.
The win puts Arsenal on 47 points from 18 games ahead of Manchester City on 39, with Newcastle United, who have played a game more, and Manchester United a further point back.
Manchester United supporters are dreaming of a first Premier League title in a decade after Marcus Rashford earned a dramatic win over rivals Manchester City on Saturday, while Liverpool lost at Brighton & Hove Albion in their disappointing season.
At the other end of the table, bottom side Southampton won 2-1 at Everton, whose season goes from bad to worse, while Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest earned valuable victories in their bids to avoid relegation.
A first league title since 2012-13 is now a real possibility for United after they moved one point behind City to second in the standings and six off leaders Arsenal, who visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
England forward Rashford completed the turnaround eight minutes from time to score for the seventh successive match in all competitions, the first United player to do so since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.
The hosts had looked beaten after Jack Grealish headed City in front just after the hour mark, with the champions looking in control until Bruno Fernandes levelled in the 78th minute.
City were furious the goal was awarded after a VAR review, with Rashford initially flagged offside before letting Fernandes take the shot ahead of him.
A ninth successive win in all competitions for United was celebrated with real vigour, as the hosts continued their improvement, one that is yielding better than expected results so soon into coach Erik ten Hag’s tenure.
“We look like a team now,” Fernandes told BT Sport. “Some time ago sometimes each one of us was looking for ourselves. Now you see a proper team playing for each other.
“If you don’t keep winning they (City) will go further clear. We’ll celebrate a big win but from tomorrow our focus has to be on the next game.”
Substitute Alexander Isak made sure the “work was worth it” says manager Eddie Howe, as the Newcastle striker marked his return from injury with an 89th-minute winner against Fulham.
Club record signing Isak, on his first league appearance since September, nodded home from close range at a jubilant St James’ Park to send Newcastle back into third in the Premier League.
It came after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s converted penalty for Fulham was unusually disallowed when he accidentally kicked the ball onto his standing foot as he slipped while striking the ball.
It was a dramatic final 30 minutes to a tight game which Newcastle edged without being able to create clear chances.
In the end Isak, who made a promising start to life on Tyneside before his injury, was in the right place to convert strike partner Callum Wilson’s knock-back.
REDS SUFFERING
Liverpool were expected to be City’s main title challengers again this season, but they dropped to eighth in the table as Brighton winger Solly March netted twice in a 3-0 win over Juergen Klopp’s sluggish side.
Brighton picked up their first home league victory against Liverpool since January 1961 as they climbed above their opponents into seventh.
Liverpool now trail leaders Arsenal by 16 points having played one game more. The Reds lost back-to-back league games for a second time this season, suffering six defeats overall, three times as many as in the whole of 2021-22.
Overrun in midfield and shaky in defence, Liverpool managed two shots on target over the 90 minutes, with Brighton more than good value for their victory, given to them by March’s brace and Danny Welbeck’s superb late third.
“Bad. Really bad. I can’t remember a worse game,” Klopp told the BBC. “How can you explain that? The same players played outstanding football matches before but if things aren’t properly organised then it can look like that.
“I cannot stand here and say it didn’t happen. Of course, we have to be very concerned about it.”
Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton are also enduring a torrid campaign, sitting second-bottom and without a win in nine matches in all competitions after slumping to defeat at home to Southampton.
The result comes on a day when members of the Everton board were advised to stay away from the ground over what the club termed a “real and credible threat to their safety and security”.
Everton fans had planned a ‘sit-in’ at the ground after the game in protest at the club’s current plight, with the feeling around Goodison Park at the final whistle an angry one indeed.
Forest had a much more enjoyable afternoon as Brennan Johnson’s double earned a 2-0 home win over Leicester City, pulling Steve Cooper’s side five points clear of the drop zone.
Leicester have now lost four league games in a row and are 15th, three points and two places below Forest, and only two points above the bottom three.
A second-half goal from Kai Havertz earned nervy Chelsea their first Premier League win of 2023 on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over lively Crystal Palace, easing the pressure on manager Graham Potter after a poor run of form.
The German striker nodded in a cross from Hakim Ziyech in the 65th minute following a short corner. It was only the second league win in 10 matches for the home side who remain in an unaccustomed 10th place half-way through the season.
Wolves are now out of the relegtion zone and level on 17 points with Leicester after a second-half goal from Daniel Podence secured a 1-0 win over visitors West Ham United, who slipped one spot to 18th on 15 points.
