Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, right, celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson).
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to five points with a come-from-behind 4-2 win against Tottenham on Thursday.
Just when the defending champion’s title defense looked in danger of suffering a latest blow — trailing 2-0 at halftime and being jeered by their own fans — goals from Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland and two from Riyadh Mahrez settled a thrilling clash at the Etihad Stadium.
After the derby loss to Manchester United last weekend, City watched Arsenal open up an eight-point advantage at the top of the standings and risked losing further ground as Tottenham raced into a commanding first-half lead through goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal.
But a rousing fightback after the break saw City score three times in 12 minutes.
Mahrez had put the home team ahead in the 63rd minute and he killed off any chance of a late twist when breaking away to score again in the 90th.
City play Wolverhampton on Sunday and can move to within two points of Arsenal before the Londoners host United at Emirates Stadium.
