Arsenal took full advantage of their opportunity to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Leicester City, while Omar Marmoush stole the show in Manchester City’s emphatic 4-0 win against Newcastle on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s men, struggling with multiple injuries in attack, were made to work for their win at the King Power Stadium. With Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz all sidelined, Arsenal lacked their usual attacking spark until Mikel Merino came off the bench to make the difference.
The Spaniard broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, rising highest to meet Ethan Nwaneri’s cross and power a header past Mads Hermansen. Just seven minutes later, he ghosted into the box to turn home Leandro Trossard’s delivery, securing a crucial three points.
Arteta admitted his team struggled initially but praised Merino’s impact. “The first half, we struggled to get momentum because we did a lot of simple things wrong, but the second half was very different,” he said. “Mikel obviously made a huge impact to score the two goals.”
The victory extended Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League run to 15 matches and moved them within four points of Liverpool, who can restore their seven-point cushion with a win over Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.
Meanwhile, at the Etihad Stadium, Omar Marmoush delivered a career-defining performance as he fired Manchester City to a 4-0 rout of Newcastle. The Egyptian forward, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, ended his brief goal drought in style, completing a stunning 14-minute hat-trick in the first half.
His first came in the 19th minute, capitalizing on Ederson’s long ball before coolly lifting it over Martin Dubravka. Just five minutes later, he doubled City’s lead with a thunderous strike that took a slight deflection off Kieran Trippier.
The 26-year-old capped off his hat-trick in the 33rd minute, calmly slotting home after being picked out by Savinho.
James McAtee added a fourth in the 84th minute, capping a dominant display, but City’s joy was tempered by an injury scare for Erling Haaland, who limped off late with a suspected knee issue. With a crucial Champions League second-leg clash against Real Madrid looming, Pep Guardiola will be hoping it’s nothing serious.
“The way we played, we remembered what we were and what we have not been this season,” Guardiola said. “Marmoush did really well in Germany, a player with quality and pace.”
The win lifted City to fourth place, keeping their top-four hopes alive, while Newcastle remain seventh, three points adrift of the Champions League spots.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fulham, with Calvin Bassey scoring the decisive goal in the 62nd minute. Bournemouth climbed to fifth after a 3-1 win at Southampton, with goals from Dango Ouattara, Ryan Christie, and Marcus Tavernier.
Ipswich, despite being down to ten men after Axel Tuanzebe’s first-half red card, managed a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, thanks to Liam Delap’s opener before Ollie Watkins equalized.
Everton edged past Crystal Palace 2-1, with Carlos Alcaraz netting the winner in the 80th minute, while Kevin Schade’s early strike secured Brentford’s 1-0 win at West Ham.
With the title race heating up and the battle for European spots intensifying, all eyes now turn to Liverpool’s response against Wolves, as Arsenal and City keep up the chase.
