Manchester City cruise past Chelsea to keep title chase alive

Manchester City reignited the Premier League title race with a commanding 3-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, closing the gap on league leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s men delivered a clinical second-half performance at Stamford Bridge, turning the game on its head with a rapid burst of goals shortly after the restart.

Young talents Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi found the back of the net within a six-minute spell, leaving Chelsea struggling to respond to City’s intensity and attacking quality.

Jeremy Doku wrapped up a statement victory to ensure City took advantage of Arsenal’s shock 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Second-placed City are now only six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, setting up a seismic showdown against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.

Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final and thrashed Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, City are hitting form at just the right time.

Their bid for a seventh English title under Guardiola appeared to be fading after successive draws with strugglers West Ham and Nottingham Forest in their previous two league matches.

A disjointed first half against Chelsea suggested City might waste a golden opportunity to pile pressure on Arsenal.

But Guardiola’s half-time team-talk had the desired effect and City can now target next weekend’s do-or-die visit from Mikel Arteta’s spluttering team.

If City win that blockbuster clash, they will be within three points of Arsenal, who blew substantial leads in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing Guardiola’s men to pip them to the trophy.