MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City beat Sheffield United 2-0 and moved to within two points of English Premier League leader Liverpool on Saturday.
Goals from Rodri and Julian Alvarez at Etihad Stadium secured a comfortable win for the defending champions against the bottom-placed team.
Third-placed City moved ahead of Arsenal on goal difference and was behind Liverpool and Aston Villa. Villa was second on goal difference after beating Burnley 3-2.
While City has looked below its best at times this season, it has been able to stay in reach of the leaders. And with Kevin De Bruyne returning from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola can hope for improved performances in the new year.
They ended 2023 with back-to-back league wins after returning from Saudi Arabia and success in the Club World Cup last week. All five trophies won over the past 12 months — the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup — were on show ahead of kickoff against Sheffield United.
That was a measure of the task for Chris Wilder’s relegation-fighting team. And the visitor never looked like causing an upset.
City dominated and Rodri struck in the 14th minute. The Spain midfielder collected a ball deep in Sheffield United’s half and drove forward to the edge of the box with no opposition player strong enough to stop him. He shot low into the corner beyond goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
Despite controlling the game, City could not find a second before the break and it was Sheffield United which came close to a leveller.
William Osula looked set to beat Ederson from close range, but his effort was blocked by a late tackle from Manuel Akanji. From the resulting corner, Osula headed goalward and was denied by Ederson.
Phil Foden had a chance to double the lead early in second half when running through one-on-one with Foderingham, but the ball was pushed away by the keeper as he tried to take it round him.
When City got a second in the 61st, Foden was the creator, curling a cross for Alvarez to slide in and turn over the line.
One of the biggest cheers of the day came when De Bruyne emerged to warm up on the sideline. The Belgian hasn’t played since Aug. 11, the first league game, and was named as a substitute on Saturday.
Aston Villa 3, Burnley 2
In Birmingham, Douglas Luiz’s 89th-minute penalty sent Aston Villa past 10-man Burnley 3-2.
Villa looked set to drop points after twice taking the lead at Villa Park until Luiz’s late spot kick.
They moved up to second on the table and level on points with leader Liverpool, having played a game more.
The Midlands club has been the surprise of the season but has suffered over the Christmas holidays after drawing against bottom-placed Sheffield United and throwing away a two-goal lead in defeat to Manchester United.
Leon Bailey fired Villa in front in the 28th but that was cancelled out three minutes later by Zeki Amdouni.
Moussa Diaby finished in the 42nd to give the home team the lead at the break.
Burnley suffered a further setback when Sander Berge was sent off in the 56th, but Villa was frustrated again after Lyle Foster leveled in the 71st.
Then Aaron Ramsey’s foul on Jhon Duran in the box gave Villa the chance to take the lead for a third time. Luiz converted the penalty with a shot in off the bar.
It secured a 26th league win of 2023 for Unai Emery’s team, while Vincent Kompany’s Burnley remained second from bottom and five points from safety.
Wolverhampton 3, Everton 0
In Wolverhampton, captain Max Kilman’s first goal in two years inspired Wolves to a dominant win over struggling Everton by 3-0.
The defender’s opener was followed by Matheus Cunha’s tap in and Craig Dawson’s strike at Molineux.
Wolves celebrated with teammate Mario Lemina’s shirt after the midfielder missed the game following the death of his father.
For the Toffees, their Christmas holidays decline continued. Four straight wins in December have been followed by three successive league defeats and a League Cup exit. They remain a point above the relegation zone after an insipid and powderpuff performance.
Wolves — with nine goals in their last three games — were unbeaten in eight games at home and earned a third straight league win for the first time in almost two years. Wolves remained 11th in an increasingly impressive season.
Crystal Palace 3, Brentford 1
In London, Michael Olise scored in each half as Crystal Palace ended its eight-game winless streak by overcoming Brentford 3-1 at a soggy Selhurst Park.
Palace bounced back from a sorry start to an afternoon that began with Keane Lewis-Potter’s opener for the Bees inside two minutes.
Olise ensured it was all square before the 15-minute mark and Eberechi Eze added another before the break. It was the first time Palace has scored more than one before halftime this season.
Neal Maupay came closest to clawing one back for the visitors, rattling the crossbar as the Bees staged a late surge, but Brentford slipped to a club-record fifth straight league defeat.
In his program notes, Palace manager Roy Hodgson expressed his “disappointment and frustration” at the fact he has “never had the opportunity” to work with a full squad this season.
The Eagles edged closer to full strength on Saturday, when forward Odsonne Edouard returned to the matchday squad and influential duo Olise and Eze started alongside each other for just the third time in this campaign.
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