February 22, (THEWILL) — Two goals from Nico O’Reilly earned Manchester City a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, closing the gap on English Premier League leaders Arsenal to just two points.
O’Reilly struck first in the 14th minute, converting with a sharp first-time finish to put City ahead.
Newcastle responded quickly through Lewis Hall, whose deflected effort brought the visitors level, but the equaliser lasted only five minutes before O’Reilly headed home from a cross held up by Erling Haaland to restore City’s advantage.
Newcastle thought they had drawn level before the interval when Dan Burn converted, only for the goal to be ruled out.
Pep Guardiola’s side showed little urgency in the second half, yet Newcastle struggled to test the home defence with any consistency.
Nick Pope produced two fine stops to deny Haaland and Phil Foden and keep Newcastle’s hopes alive.
Those saves set the stage for a frantic conclusion in which the Newcastle goalkeeper himself charged into the City penalty area for a late corner, yet could not get a decisive touch on the ball from close range.
City’s victory piles pressure on Arsenal, who dropped points at Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek. The title race now enters a critical phase with the gap between the two clubs reduced to two points.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
