LONDON: Record-breaker Erling Haaland was on target again as reigning champions Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Victory left Pep Guardiola’s men a point clear of Arsenal and with a game in hand over the Gunners.

Meanwhile high-flying Newcastle sent basement club Southampton nearer the drop after a 3-1 success.

Manchester United also remained in the hunt for a top-four finish with a 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa.

Bournemouth pulled further clear of the bottom three with a 4-1 defeat of Leeds United that left the visitors just a point above the relegation zone.

It took City just three minutes to go ahead with Haaland scoring from the penalty spot at Craven Cottage after Julian Alvarez was brought down by Tim Ream.

Haaland’s 34th league goal was a record by a player in a 38-game Premier League season and equalled the number set by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer in 42-game campaigns.

Fulham, however, equalised in the 15th minute with Carlos Vinicius beating Ederson with a powerful first-time shot.

But Alvarez, in for Kevin De Bruyne, restored City’s lead nine minutes before half-time with a brilliant whipped shot into the far corner from just outside the box.

Meanwhile, before kick-off at Old Trafford a group of United fans demanded the Glazer family complete a full sale of the club amid continuing uncertainty over the future ownership of the Red Devils.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe both made their third and final offers to buy the English giants on Friday.

The US-based Glazers have long been unpopular with large sections of United support since their leveraged takeover in 2005 and some fans are concerned that if Ratcliffe’s bid for majority control succeeds they could remain involved in some capacity.

A protest march from central Manchester continued on to Old Trafford as fans displayed a giant banner reading ‘Full $ale Only’.

Bruno Fernandes scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute when he followed up at the far post after Emiliano Martinez had pushed away a low Marcus Rashford shot.

In the nights other fixture, Newcastle dominated the opening 40 minutes at St James’ Park only to surprisingly fall behind when Stuart Armstrong scored on the counter-attack.

The Magpies though equalised in the 54th minute when substitute Callum Wilson capped a period of sustained pressure by turning in Alexander Isak’s low cross.

And they then hit Southampton with two quickfire goals in as many minutes, Saints’ Theo Walcott diverting a cross into his own net before Wilson rounded the goalkeeper for his second of the match.

Defeat left the Saints anchored to the foot of the table and six points adrift of safety.

Colombia midfielder Jefferson Lerma rocked struggling Leeds with two goals in four first-half minutes as Bournemouth moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Lerma fired the Cherries ahead with a well-struck shot in the 20th minute and doubled the south coast side’s lead soon afterwards when he scored at the back post after Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier flapped at Ryan Christie’s cross.

Leeds equalised in the 32nd minute when Patrick Bamford headed in Wilfried Gnonto’s superb whipped cross.

But Dominic Solanke restored the hosts two-goal advantage.

Poor defending allowed the unmarked Dango Ouattara to charge into space before his low ball was turned in by Solanke in the 63rd minute.

The goal stood after a VAR check for offside before Antoine Semenyo struck in stoppage time.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2023