Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League as the striker sealed a 1-0 win against Southampton, while third-placed Aston Villa were frustrated by Bournemouth’s last-gasp leveller on Saturday.
Haaland had gone three league games without a goal but he ended that mini drought in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.
That was enough to lift Pep Guardiola’s side into first place, two points ahead of second placed Liverpool, who can regain pole position if they win Sunday’s blockbuster clash with title rivals Arsenal.
City have not lost a league game at the Etihad for two years, a run encompassing 35 games, and bottom of the table Southampton, who have only one point from nine games this season, were never likely to shatter that impressive streak.
With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku ruled out, Guardiola made four changes to the team that thrashed Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Haaland had scored an audacious goal against Sparta and while his effort to kill off Southampton was more prosaic, it was arguably far more valuable given the context of a tense title race.
Matheus Nunes’s cross reached Haaland in the fifth minute and the Norwegian showed strength and desire to get to the ball ahead his marker for a close-range strike.
City spurned several chances to increase their lead but Haaland’s 14th goal in all competitions this season gave the unbeaten champions seven wins from nine league matches as they chase a fifth successive title.
Aston Villa’s hopes of pushing for the title suffered a setback as Bournemouth snatched a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.
Villa are unbeaten in the Champions League, sitting top of the table after seeing off Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Bologna.
But they couldn’t follow their latest European success with a domestic victory despite taking the lead in the 76th minute.
Ian Maatsen crossed and Leon Bailey teed up Ross Barkley to hook in his first goal for the club.
But Evanilson rescued Bournemouth with the headed equaliser six minutes into stoppage-time.