Manchester City ignited the Premier League title race with a second-half surge that sealed a 3-0 win against Chelsea as they closed the gap on leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side produced a strong spell immediately after half-time, with Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi scoring in the space of six minutes at Stamford Bridge.
Marc Cucurella had a goal ruled out for offside before Pedro Neto forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma in the first half.
Bernardo Silva came close for City before the break, but Robert Sanchez denied him from close range.
City broke through in the 51st minute when Rayan Cherki’s cross found O’Reilly, who headed in from close range.
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Cherki was involved again for the second, beating several Chelsea players before setting up Guehi, who scored from 12 yards.
Chelsea’s mistake in the 68th minute led to the third goal, as Doku finished after Moises Caicedo was dispossessed under pressure.
Jeremy Doku sealed the win to ensure City took advantage of Arsenal’s 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Second-placed City are now six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, setting up a key clash against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final and defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, City are in form at a crucial stage of the season.
Their bid for a seventh English title under Guardiola looked uncertain after successive draws with West Ham and Nottingham Forest in previous league games.
A quiet first half against Chelsea suggested City might miss another chance to apply pressure on Arsenal.
But Guardiola’s half-time team-talk had an impact, and City now head into a decisive fixture against Mikel Arteta’s side.
If City win that match, they will be within three points of Arsenal, who have seen past title leads slip in recent seasons.
Arteta said the defeat to Bournemouth was a “punch in the face” and City’s win in west London added to the pressure.
City have won 29 of their 32 league games in April in recent seasons, underlining their strong record in the run-in.
Chelsea, after a strong start under Liam Rosenior, have now won just one of their last seven games, losing three in a row.
Chelsea were again without Enzo Fernandez after Rosenior’s decision to drop the midfielder following his comments about a possible summer move.
Sixth-placed Chelsea looked flat without Fernandez and remain four points behind Liverpool in the race for a Champions League spot.
