Arsenal 2 – 0 Sunderland
Manchester City 3 – 1 West Bromwich Albion
- Manchester City 3 – 1 West Bromwich Albion
Manchester City clinched an emphatic win over West Brom to move back up to third place in the Premier League with one game remaining.
City scored two quick first-half goals with Gabriel Jesus opening the scoring in the 27th minute before Kevin de Bruyne added the second two minutes later with a fine curling strike.
Yaya Toure made it 3-0 after the break, exchanging passes with Aguero as he marched into the area to slot past Ben Foster.
West Brom managed a late consolation when substitute Hal Robson-Kanu turned in Allan Nyom’s low cross.
A point in their final game at Watford on Sunday will now be enough to guarantee Pep Guardiola’s side a place in the top four and Champions League football, while a win would see them finish third and go straight into the group stage.
Meanwhile the Baggies have now gone eight games without a victory and remain on 45 points with a trip to Swansea on Sunday.
With the points all but secured by Toure’s goal, attention for many City fans switched to Pablo Zabeleta’s big send-off.
After nine years with City in which he won every domestic trophy, the 32-year-old Argentina defender is leaving the clubat the end of the season.
He started on the bench but the home fans sang his name from kick-off, gave him his first standing ovation of the night in the first half and then exploded into noise when he began warming up.
The ground rose to applaud him on to the pitch when he replaced David Silva on the hour mark, and then cheered every time he touched the ball.
Zabaleta ended the game wearing the captain’s armband after Vincent Kompany was substituted and West Brom’s belated fightback never threatened to ruin his night.
After an emotional farewell speech at the final whistle, when he was joined on the pitch by his wife and young son, Zabaleta was given a guard of honour by his team-mates as he and his family departed down the tunnel.
- Arsenal 2 – 0 Sunderland
Alexis Sanchez kept Arsenal in the hunt for a top-four finish as his double secured a 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.
Alexis Sanchez tapped in Mesut Ozil’s square pass to the relief of those inside a sparsely populated Emirates Stadium.
As Arsenal increased in urgency, Sanchez bundled in Olivier Giroud’s cut-back to renew their hopes of a top-four finish for a 21st successive season.
The Gunners are a point behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
Arsenal will now look to beat Everton in their final match and hope Liverpool drop points against relegated Middlesbrough if they are to maintain their record of finishing in the top-four in each of Wenger’s 21 seasons in charge.
They could mathematically still catch third-placed Manchester City, who beat West Brom 3-1 on Tuesday night, but that scenario would require defeat for Pep Guardiola’s side at Watford with Arsenal enjoying a five-goal swing on the final day.
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