Erling Haaland double puts Man City in control of title destiny

Manchester City went within one game of being crowned champions after Erling Haaland’s brace gave them a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Premier League.

Haaland’s 51st-minute goal and added-time penalty – moments after substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega saved brilliantly from Son Heung-min – sent City back to the top of the table at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of their final match against West Ham on Sunday.

Title rivals Arsenal, who sit two points behind City on 86 points with a superior goal difference, needed Pep Guardiola’s side to drop points if they wanted the destiny of the title to be in their hands this weekend.

HUGE win for @ManCity, who take top spot in the Premier League table heading into the final day of the season!#TOTMCI pic.twitter.com/k4EcZqHDb1

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 14, 2024

Arsenal beat Manchester United in their 37th match and now host Everton at the Emirates Stadium on the final day.

City started on the back foot as they managed the nerves of a potential title-defining occasion in north London. Brennan Johnson’s low cross was hit first-time by Rodrigo Bentancur in the early minutes as Ederson tipped over to bail out his sleepwalking back four.

Only a win would do for City if they wanted to return to the summit ahead of the final day and Phil Foden understood the assignment as he almost gave his side the lead.

The England international capitalised on a gift from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s sliced clearance which gave him a chance to finish on the volley, but Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to deny him from inside the area.

Guardiola was more animated than usual on the touchline as his team struggled to assert themselves.

Ruben Dias had been sloppy in possession a handful of times,