Man City’s fixtures and form guide compared to Arsenal

Manchester City’s machine-like assault on the final slew of this season’s fixtures continued with a 3-0 victory over relegation-haunted Everton.

Sean Dyche’s side formed a formidable blockade, denying the reigning champions a single shot until the 28th minute. Yet, it proved just a matter of time before the oiled cogs clicked into gear and Ilkay Gundogan juggled City into a first-half lead, kickstarting a victory which sent Pep Guardiola’s side four points clear of their nearest rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners are not mathematically out of the title race just yet but don’t have much time to catch City. Here’s what lies in store for both clubs in the final two weeks of the 2022/23 campaign.

Manchester City are unbeaten in a sickening 22 matches across all competitions after swatting Everton aside on Sunday. Tottenham were the last team to defeat Guardiola’s outfit all the way back in February.

That match – which saw Erling Haaland take fewer touches than Ederson and fail to register a single shot – gave many the courage to wonder aloud whether the Norwegian was actually hindering City. Haaland duly found the net at Goodison Park on Sunday, answering his critics with a glut of 21 goals in 20 unbeaten appearances since City’s last loss.

After welcoming Real Madrid to the Etihad on Wednesday night for the decisive leg of the Champions League semi-final, City close out the Premier League season with three fixtures in seven days.

Frank Lampard will attempt to once again emerge from an away game against City undefeated after leading Everton to an unlikely 1-1 draw in Manchester on New Year’s Eve before he returned to Chelsea as an interim coach.

However, arguably City’s toughest fixtures send them to the homes of Brighton and Brentford. Guardiola is at pains to praise the work of the upwardly mobile duo that have caused his side problems in the past.

Guardiola described Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls as “the best team in the world to make the build-up” while Thomas Frank’s Brentford earned a famous 2-1 win over City on the eve of the winter World Cup.