Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League as the striker sealed a 1-0 win against Southampton, while third-placed Aston Villa were frustrated by Bournemouth’s last-gasp leveller on Saturday.
Haaland had gone three league games without a goal but he ended that mini drought in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.
That was enough to lift Pep Guardiola’s side into first place, two points ahead of second-placed Liverpool, who can regain pole position if they win Sunday’s blockbuster clash with title rivals Arsenal.
City have not lost a league game at the Etihad for two years, a run encompassing 35 games, and bottom-of-the-table Southampton, who have only one point from nine games this season, were never likely to shatter that impressive streak.
With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku ruled out, Guardiola made four changes to the team that thrashed Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Haaland had scored an audacious goal against Sparta and while his effort to kill off Southampton was more prosaic, it was arguably far more valuable given the context of a tense title race.
Matheus Nunes’ cross reached Haaland in the fifth minute and the Norwegian showed strength and desire to get to the ball ahead of his marker for a close-range strike.
City spurned several chances to increase their lead but Haaland’s 14th goal in all competitions this season gave the unbeaten champions seven wins from nine league matches as they chase a fifth successive title.
“The way Southampton played, they are so demanding. Big credit to them, it was not because we were sloppy or flat. I don’t have that feeling,” Guardiola said.
“We created chances and unfortunately couldn’t score the second. I think we were there and sometimes they are good. We have to accept that.”
Aston Villa’s hopes of pushing for the title suffered a setback as Bournemouth snatched a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.
Villa are unbeaten in the Champions League, sitting top of the table after seeing off Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Bologna.
But they couldn’t follow their latest European success with a domestic victory despite taking the lead in the 76th minute.
Ian Maatsen crossed and Leon Bailey teed up Ross Barkley to hook in his first goal for the club.
But Evanilson rescued Bournemouth with a headed equaliser six minutes into stoppage-time.
Wolves fightback
Brentford beat fourth-bottom Ipswich 4-3 in a thrilling clash in west London.
Ipswich’s Sam Szmodics produced a fine finish from 15 yards in the 28th minute before George Hirst clipped a composed strike past Mark Flekken three minutes later.
But Yoane Wissa netted in the 44th minute and Harry Clarke’s own goal seconds later hauled Brentford level.
Bryan Mbeumo’s 51st-minute penalty, awarded for Clarke’s foul on Keane Lewis-Potter, put Brentford 3-2 up.
Capping a miserable day for Clarke, he was sent off in the closing stages after fouling Lewis-Potter to earn a second booking.
Liam Delap’s 86th-minute equaliser appeared to have spared Clarke’s blushes, but Mbeumo snatched victory with the last kick of stoppage-time.
Second-bottom Wolves staged a superb fightback to draw 2-2 at fifth-placed Brighton.
Danny Welbeck bagged his sixth goal of the season in first half stoppage-time and Evan Ferguson struck with a clinical finish from Tariq Lamptey’s 85th-minute cross to leave Brighton in control.
But Rayan Ait-Nouri got one back three minutes later and Matheus Cunha saved winless Wolves from a sixth successive league defeat with a deflected equaliser deep into stoppage-time.
Everton forward Beto salvaged a 1-1 draw against Fulham as his stoppage-time header cancelled out Alex Iwobi’s 61st-minute strike against his former club at Goodison Park.
Although Everton are unbeaten in their last six games, they sit just three places above the relegation zone.