Mikel Arteta. – De Bruyne netted twice and top scorer Erling Haaland hit his 19th league goal of the season in City’s 4-2 win at Selhurst Park.

Everton ended their run of 13 Premier League matches without a win. Arsenal leapfrogged Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Brighton on Saturday after Kevin De Bruyne scored twice in Manchester City’s victory at Crystal Palace.

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard lifted the Gunners to 71 points – one clear of Jurgen Klopp’s men, who are tied on 70 points with defending champions City. Liverpool face a trip to mercurial Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday in the next chapter of a thrilling three-way title race.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have now won 10 of their past 11 league games and have added steel to style after faltering badly in the home straight last season. The Gunners boss hailed his team’s maturity and cleverness against a side who had not lost at home since August.

“We missed some big chances but the team looked really connected and had purpose. The last pass and shot to finish the situation could have been better, but it doesn’t matter as we kept going.”

Arsenal, who have not been crowned league champions since 2004, dominated the first half at the Amex Stadium but needed a penalty to take the lead. The breakthrough came when Gabriel Jesus was brought down by Tariq Lamptey and the returning Saka sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way for his 14th Premier League goal of the season in the 33rd minute.

Arsenal doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark when Jorginho set up Havertz at the near post for a simple tap-in and Trossard made it three with a deft chipped finish. Jean-Philippe Mateta gave the home side a shock early lead but De Bruyne levelled in the 13th minute with a curler into the top corner to quell any nerves from the visitors.

Palace carried an attacking threat but Rico Lewis put City ahead just after half-time and De Bruyne and Haaland combined for the third. Midfielder De Bruyne added his second with a stinging shot in the 70th minute – his 100th goal for the club – to make the game safe, before substitute Odsonne Edouard scored a consolation.

City boss Pep Guardiola hailed the Belgium international, who missed five months of the season with a hamstring injury he sustained in the opening match at Burnley. “Without him we would not be able to win this.

You talk about managers but players like Kevin make this game easy.” Elsewhere, Everton went into their match against second-from-bottom Burnley desperately searching for a spark after a run of 13 Premier League matches without a win.

They struggled to impose themselves but benefited from a huge slice of fortune when goalkeeper Arijanet Muric’s clearance deflected in off Dominic Calvert-Lewin in first-half stoppage time. Everton, who last played outside the English top-flight in the 1953/54 season, are now four points above the relegation zone.

But the club need everything they can get as they wait nervously to find out if they will be handed a second points deduction this season for breaking Premier League financial rules. Unai Emery’s men had led 2-0 before three goals in nine minutes from Mathias Jorgensen, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa turned the match on its head.

But Ollie Watkins levelled in the 80th minute, leaving Villa just three points above Tottenham, who have two games in hand. Carlton Morris scored a 90th-minute goal in Luton’s 2-1 win against Bournemouth – a result that leaves them in the relegation zone but now level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle edged past Fulham 1-0 courtesy of a late goal from Bruno Guimaraes while West Ham came from behind to beat Wolves 2-1.

Phil Foden celebrates after scoring against FC Copenhagen. Since his return last month, the 32-year-old has scored two goals and provided seven assists in seven appearances. Real Madrid also managed to beat RB Leipzig in the absence of injured Jude Bellingham.

Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne’s form “extraordinary” after the Belgian was involved in all three goals as Manchester City beat FC Copenhagen 1-3 on Tuesday to close in on the Champions League quarter-finals. De Bruyne’s early opener was cancelled out against the run of play by Magnus Mattsson. Bernardo Silva restored City’s lead before half-time, but they had to wait until stoppage time to add further punishment for the hosts when Phil Foden turned home De Bruyne’s cut-back.

De Bruyne was sidelined for five months by a hamstring tear suffered on the opening night of the Premier League season in August. “Extraordinary,” said Guardiola of De Bruyne’s statistics. “The biggest players love to appear in the biggest stages.

It’s the hour of truth when you are in the last 16 of the Champions League and we start well.” The English champions have now won 11 consecutive games in all competitions as they remain on course to repeat last season’s treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. Copenhagen had not played a competitive game for two months since sealing their place in the last 16 by dumping out Manchester United and Galatasaray in the group stages.

“We started really well but I think we made one mistake and they pounced on it. We played a really good game. In the second half we created a lot of chances, could have scored more and luckily in the end we scored the third one, so it is a little bit of an advantage now.”

Elsewhere, an incredible solo goal from Brahim Diaz secured Real Madrid a 1-0 win away at RB Leipzig in Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 first leg. Leipzig were energetic but wasteful early, while Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made numerous saves after the hosts controversially had a goal disallowed for offside. The German club were made to pay early in the second half when Diaz opened the scoring.

Real midfielder Toni Kroos praised his teammate, telling Amazon Prime “a piece of individual skill decided the game.” It was an open match,” said Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, contending that “a lucky punch decided the game.” With first-choice centre-backs Antonio Ruediger, David Alaba and Eder Militao ruled out, coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to continue midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni’s stint in central defence.

Despite their injury woes, Real sit five clear in the league and have only lost twice this season in all competitions, both times to derby rivals Atletico Madrid. Leipzig coach Marco Rose said Tuesday his side were “not afraid” of Real Madrid, having beaten the 14-time European champions 3-2 at the same venue in October 2022.

The return of the Champions League presents an opportune moment for Manchester City, strengthened by the comebacks of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne from injury. Their return has bolstered the team, transforming the holders into a formidable force.

With 10 consecutive wins in all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s men are in top form as they head to FC Copenhagen for the first leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday at 2300EAT. Haaland showcased his talent by scoring his first goals since November as City secured a 2-0 victory against Everton.

De Bruyne, too, has been instrumental since his return, making seven-goal contributions in eight games this season. Their partnership has been particularly impactful, with Haaland expressing delight in having De Bruyne’s delivery to feed off once more.

The Premier League title race is heating up, with the top three teams separated by just two points. City’s upcoming fixtures include a game in hand against Brentford, a trip to Luton in the FA Cup fifth round, and the Champions League clash with Copenhagen.

Despite Copenhagen’s success against Manchester United, City is expected to perform strongly with a fully fit squad and a wealth of options at Guardiola’s disposal. The team’s confidence is high, with players like Phil Foden and Rodri performing exceptionally well.

Foden netted a hat-trick in a recent win, while Rodri has not been on the losing side in 51 games for club and country. With their formidable form and depth, City aims to secure another Champions League triumph at Wembley on June 1.

Manchester City, the defending champions, made history by winning four consecutive away games in the Premier League despite falling behind in all of them. This impressive feat has seen them move alongside Arsenal on 49 points, just two behind Liverpool. Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden, saying that the English international is enjoying his best season at Manchester City after scoring a hat-trick to beat Brentford 3-1 and leave the top three teams separated by just two points. Neal Maupay opened the scoring for Brentford, but Foden’s equalizer in first-half stoppage time turned the tide in City’s favor.

Guardiola highlighted Foden’s sense of goal and performance in a central position, emphasizing his importance to the team. City’s rivals for the title may regret not capitalizing on the absence of key players like De Bruyne and Haaland due to injury, as City looks set to become the first side to win four consecutive English top-flight titles. The Brentford goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, started the match as statistically the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League for percentage of shots saved. Despite Brentford’s lead, they struggled to pose a threat as City continued their attacking dominance.

City sealed their victory 20 minutes from time, maintaining their position as the team to beat as the season progresses. Pep Guardiola’s men are poised to capitalize on any missteps by their title rivals as they aim for another successful Premier League campaign.