Man City and Arsenal close in on Liverpool, Fulham stun Man United

Manchester City and Arsenal closed in on Premier League leaders Liverpool with contrasting victories on Saturday as Fulham burst Manchester United's bubble.

With Liverpool in League Cup final action on Sunday, the tightest of title races was squeezed further as City edged to a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth to cut the gap to one point. Arsenal showed again they are a force to be reckoned with as they outclassed Newcastle United 4-1, taking their goal tally from the last three league games to 15.

Liverpool lead with 60 points, followed by City with 59 and Arsenal with 58, with all three teams having played 26 games. It is the closest three-horse title race in the Premier League in the recent decade as their battle went to the wire.

Phil Foden's ninth league goal of the season proved enough for champions City to overcome Bournemouth, although it was not the usual slick display by Pep Guardiola's side. He struck in the 21st minute as he coolly slotted in after Erling Haaland's shot had been saved by Neto.

"The players surprise me every time, the character, always competitive when they are tired," said Guardiola after his side's unbeaten league run stretched to 11 in the hunt for a fourth consecutive league title.

While City showed the priceless ability to eke out victories when not at their usual levels, Arsenal were simply unstoppable as they bounced back impressively from defeat by Porto in the Champions League.

Elsewhere, an own goal by Sven Botman and a simple Kai Havertz finish put Arsenal 2-0 up at the break before Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior struck to wrap up the points before substitute Joe Willock scored a consolation for Newcastle.

Meanwhile, United's problems re-surfaced at Old Trafford to dilute the mood of optimism. The gap between the leading three and United was evident again as Fulham won at Old Trafford for the first time in more than 20 years after Alex Iwobi's stoppage-time goal earned them a surprise 2-1 victory.

United's first loss in six league games left them eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who bolstered their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a 4-2 home victory over struggling Nottingham Forest.

Crystal Palace gave new manager Oliver Glasner a dream start with a 3-0 win over 10-man Burnley to ease their relegation fears and push their opponents closer to the drop.

Everton were denied a vital victory in their survival battle as Lewis Dunk headed a stoppage-time equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw for 10-man Brighton and Hove Albion.

(With input from Reuters)