Dominant City increase lead to four points
MANCHESTER, England, April 23, (AP): Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus scored more goals in 53 minutes on Saturday than he had in the previous eight months in the English Premier League.
Becoming the first player in the league to score four goals in one game this season, Jesus led City to a 5-1 thrashing of Watford to open a fourpoint lead over second-placed Liverpool in the title race.
Liverpool can trim that back to one point with five matches left by beating Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.
Jesus has been something of an afterthought at City this season, scoring only three goals in the league before the arrival of next-to-last Watford for a match that ended up resembling a training exercise.
The Brazil international netted twice in the first half and twice more in the opening eight minutes of the second half - one of which was a penalty to complete his hat trick.
Rodri scored the other goal - a dipping, long-range shot after collecting a pass from Jesus - for City, which used the match to give key players a rest ahead of Real Madrid’s visit in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday.
While City stayed on course for the title, fierce rivals Manchester United likely dropped out of the race for Champions League qualification.
By losing at Arsenal 3-1, United fell six points behind its top-four rivals and manager Ralf Rangnick all but called time on his team’s season.
Mid-table teams Leicester and Aston Villa drew 0-0.
An emotional scoring return for Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t enough for United.
The Portugal star missed the midweek loss to Liverpool while grieving the death of his newborn son but was back in the starting lineup against Arsenal.
SOCCER
Ronaldo raised his left arm and pointed to the sky after scoring in the 34th minute to make it 2-1, with Nuno Tavares and Bukayo Saka having already netted for Arsenal.
Ronaldo declined the chance to take a penalty that compatriot Bruno Fernandes wound up missing, with United manager Ralf Rangnick saying: “He just didn’t feel as if he should take it.”
Granit Xhaka clinched victory for Arsenal with a sweetly struck shot from long range in the 70th minute, completing an excellent week for Mikel Arteta’s team after its 4-2 win at Chelsea on Wednesday.
Joelinton scored twice in his 100th English Premier League appearance for Newcastle as they climbed into the top half of the standings after beating hosts Norwich 3-0.
The Magpies’ first win at Carrow Road since January 1994 left Norwich closer to relegation. Norwich were eight points from safety with five games left.
Joelinton broke the deadlock in the 35th minute with a curled strike into the top corner, and slotted home again just six minutes later.
Another Brazilian, Bruno Guimaraes, wrapped up Newcastle’s fourth successive win at the start of the second half, when he beat a defender to Tim Krul’s attempted pass out from the back, before taking a touch and cleverly lobbing the goalkeeper.
Newcastle are up to ninth, theirhighest position this late in the season in eight years.
Tottenham drew at Brentford 0-0 to drop to fifth.