With a 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Saturday in another English Premier League thriller, Manchester City rode their luck to close the gap on Arsenal at the top of the league to two points. The defending champions, who were let off the hook at the Etihad Stadium by a series of glaring misses from the visitors, got their goals from Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. Newcastle’s hopes of finishing in the top four were once again dashed when Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, and Joelinton failed to get Ederson to make a save.

In recent weeks, City has shown glimpses of their best behavior, but they could only salvage three crucial points from a disjointed performance. Following the World Cup, Foden struggled with form and fitness, but the England international has appeared more like himself over the past week. With the help of a deflection off of Sven Botman, the 22-year-old scored his fourth goal in three games, beating Nick Pope in the 15th minute and beating four Newcastle challenges. Newcastle’s much-anticipated first entire season under Saudi ownership is beginning to falter.

After losing to Manchester United in the League Cup final last weekend, Eddie Howe’s team missed the club’s first major trophy in 54 years. Initially, the Magpies were made to pay for their usual lack of power. Erling Haaland also failed to score at the other end, failing to do so for the sixth time in eight games. Just before the break, the Norwegian missed his best opportunity to increase his lead in the Premier League’s Golden Boot race when he headed a cross from Kevin De Bruyne wide.

Pep Guardiola replaced De Bruyne with Silva to halt Newcastle’s progress through the Manchester City midfield. Manchester City was able to finish the third quarter thanks to the second goal comfortably, and they could have added to their lead had Pope not made a low right save from Foden.