HIGH FIVE!
Man City thrash Luton to move to top of table
Manchester, England - Champions Manchester City provisionally climbed to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing lowly Luton Town 5-1 on Saturday, with Daiki Hashioka scoring an own goal off his face and Erling Haaland netting his 20th league goal of the season.
Pep Guardiola's men have 73 points with six games remaining in a rip-roaring three-way title race, two points ahead of both Arsenal and Liverpool, who can climb over City with victories in their respective games on Sunday. Relegation-threatened
Luton Town are 18th and a point shy of the safety zone.
City got on the scoreboard inside 70 seconds after Jeremy Doku's shot was deflected to Haaland, whose volley smashed hard off poor Hashioka's face and into the net.
Mateo Kovacic doubled City's lead in the 64th minute, picking the ball up at the edge of the box and launching it into the top corner. Haaland then scored from the penalty spot in the 76th after Doku was taken down in the area.
Ross Barkley capitalised on a City defensive blunder to pull one back in the 84th minute before Doku's strike to the far corner after a dazzling dribbling display made it 4-1. Josko Gvardiol completed the one-sided contest by netting seconds before the final whistle.
Newcastle blank Tottenham
A dominant Newcastle United struck twice within 95 seconds as Alexander Isak's brace helped them secure a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, a vital result in their bid to qualify for European competition.
Newcastle, unbeaten at home since January, moved up to sixth place in the standings with 50 points from 32 matches, one ahead of Manchester United who have played a game less and visit Bournemouth later in the day. Spurs are fifth with 60 points.
Isak scored at the half-hour mark when Anthony Gordon got hold of a long ball, shook off Destiny Udogie and sent it through to the striker who entered the box, got around defender Micky van de Ven and found the net.
The hosts doubled their in less than two minutes when Gordon intercepted a back pass from Pedro Porro in the box, evaded Van de Ven and fired it at inside far post.
"I think especially here at St James' with the crowd, if we can score back to back, quite close then it can feel like the stadium is suffocating you," Gordon told TNT Sports.
"Trust me, I have been here as an away player and it definitely feels like that."
Isak scored again six minutes into the second half when Bruno Guimaraes sent a long ball behind Spurs' backine. The Sweden forward left the defenders behind with his sprint and beat the keeper with ease.
The Newcastle top scorer has now been on the scoresheet in six league home games in a row and has netted 12 goals in his last 12 matches at St James' Park. He has scored 17 goals in the league this season, two less than leading scorer Erling Haaland.
Brentford win
Brentford secured a 2-0 home win over rock-bottom Sheffield United on Saturday to end their winless run of nine Premier League games under coach Thomas Frank.
In the 63rd minute, Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard fired a shot at goal that was tipped into the back of the net by Sheffield United's Oliver Arblaster past his own keeper Ivo Grbic.
With his first goal for the West London club, Frank Onyeka doubled the hosts' advantage in the 93rd minute. Brentford also had two efforts disallowed for offside and a foul.