(AFP) - Defending champions Manchester City prepared in the best way for what awaits them in the middle of the week from a grueling test against leaders Arsenal, by defeating Aston Villa 3-1 at home, while its neighbor Manchester United entered the heart of the struggle for a title that it had been absent from since 2013 by returning from the stadium. Leeds won 2-0 on Sunday in the 23rd stage of the English Football League .
At the “Etihad Stadium”, City put behind him the defeat he received in the last stage at Tottenham 0-1, and it was rumored that he could be punished for being accused of more than 100 violations of the financial rules, and prepared in the best way for the expected match Wednesday at Arsenal Stadium in a match postponed from the second stage. ten.
Spanish coach Josep Guardiola's team raised its tally to 48 points, in second place, just three points behind Arsenal, who struggled Saturday at home to Brentford (1-1).
And against a team that has not lost against it in all competitions since September 2013 (2-3 in the league at Villa Park), City decided the match in a big way in its first half, after it finished ahead with three clean goals, which was started by Spaniard Rodri in the fourth minute with a header, after the ball reached him from the Algerian Riyad. Mahrez after a corner kick.
Then German Ilkay Gundogan added the second in the 39th minute after a solo effort and a cross pass on a silver platter from the Norwegian Erling Haaland, before Mahrez consolidated the score with the third from a penalty kick that Jack Grealish captured from Jacob Ramsey (1 + 45).
For Gundogan, "The three points today help, but it will be a different confrontation (against Arsenal). It will be a difficult match between two of the best teams in England at the moment."
City entered the second half without Haaland, who was in doubt about his participation against Arsenal, according to Guardiola, saying, "Haaland suffered a blow. He feels annoyed. We do not take risks when the score is 3-0. We will see and evaluate the situation in the next few days. If he is not ready, Another player will play in his place. I hope he's ready, but we'll see."
And after a mistake in getting the ball out, hope returned to Aston Villa at the beginning of the second half through Olly Watkins, who received the ball from Brazilian Douglas Luiz, so he advanced with it before hitting the floor to the right of Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson (61).
Despite some losses and many opportunities for Villa, most notably to Brazilian substitute Philippe Coutinho from a long shot that Ederson sent under the crossbar (80) and another to Colombian newcomer John Doran, which bounced off the crossbar (2 + 90), City held out and kept the result the same until the final whistle.
And at the “Eland Road” stadium, four days after wasting two points at home in a 2-2 draw with Leeds in a postponed match from the eighth stage, Manchester United struggled to collect the three points, but in the end succeeded in emerging victorious before traveling to Spain to face Barcelona Thursday in the first leg of the play-offs. The qualifying break for the final price of the "Europa League" competition.
More importantly, for Dutch coach Eric ten Hag's team, he raised his lead to 46 points in third place, two points ahead of archrivals City and five from Arsenal, but the latter two played a lesser match than the "Red Devils" in addition to their postponed match on Wednesday.
Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea, who played his 400th Premier League match, spoke of Sunday's victory, telling Sky Sports: "You saw what (the victory) meant at the end of the game, whether it was for the fans or the players. We deserved to win at home (Wednesday). against Leeds) but we did it today."
"We fought to the end as a team," he said, refusing to talk about what it meant to play his 400th game because "today it wasn't about that. It was about winning the game and we did that, so I can now enjoy my 400th Premier League game... Clean sheet, three massive points." And 400 matches: a perfect day."
And after Leeds started the meeting with a double chance after a shot by Patrick Bamford that De Gea blocked, and the ball fell in front of the Dutchman Criscencio Summerville, who knocked it out in the stands (4), the preference moved to United, who was close to scoring by the Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, but he hit the side net (19).
And Leeds almost scored before the end of the first half through Summerville, but De Gea was on time (44), then Fernandez responded individually, but he failed to put the ball out of reach of French goalkeeper Ilan Meslier (1 + 45), and the Dutchman, Fout Fijkhorst, followed it with a header. After a corner kick, the ball hit the post (45+2).
Leeds started the second half pressing and threatened De Gea's goal on more than one occasion, most notably through Summerville, who collided with the brilliance of the Spanish goalkeeper (47).
Then United's luck struggled after a shot from the outskirts of the area by Portuguese Diogo Dalo bounced off the crossbar (63), before the two teams then exchanged chances without success in front of the goal until the 80th minute when Rashford snatched the lead for United with a wonderful header after a cross from Luke Shaw, raising his score to 12 goals in the league this season.
United liberated after this goal and reinforced the second through the young Argentine-Spanish substitute Alejandro Garnacho, who received the ball from Fijkhorst, so the 18-year-old advanced with it and penetrated into the area before hitting it out of Meslier’s reach (85).