Author: Soorya G
Brentford took advantage of a much-changed West Ham side to win easily at the Gtech Community Stadium by a two-goal margin, guaranteeing the Bees an impressive top-four finish in only their second season in England’s top flight.
As first-choice striker Ivan Toney missed the game against West Ham due to a hamstring injury, which Thomas Frank’s side hope is not serious, Brentford had to rely on their other strikers. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa were effective despite a reduced forward line, scoring twice in the first half to secure the win for the team. The Hammers made nine surprising changes to the starting line-up compared to the previous game, probably with the important second leg of the Europa League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar scheduled for Thursday in mind.
Veteran Danny Ings started for David Moyes’ side and also scored in the second half to try and turn things around, but was flagged offside by the VAR in a decision that Moyes called “very strange”. Brentford, unlike their opponents, had several chances to score, but ended up wasting at least three great opportunities. Even so, Thomas Frank’s men managed to pick up three points as they approached the end of a wonderful season.
Veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan shone once again for Manchester City, scoring twice and providing an assist in the team’s 3-0 win over Everton. Arsenal’s defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion at the end of the day left City within touching distance of their fifth Premier League title in six years.
A win for Manchester City against Chelsea on Saturday will mean the celebrations start early, otherwise they could add to their trophy collection on Sunday if Mikel Arteta’s side lose to Nottingham Forest. At the moment, Guardiola’s focus will be on the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, who are brilliantly prepared for an intense second leg at the Etihad.
Ilkay Gundogan has been extremely influential in City’s success in recent times, including their title campaign. The German scored twice against Leeds United a week ago, in a home win for the reigning champions, before setting up Kevin de Bruyne’s goal against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League at the Bernabéu. His extraordinary performance on Sunday is an indication of why Pep Guardiola expects the German to renew his contract with the club at the end of the season. Gundogan produced a magical piece of skill that fooled the entire Everton defense to open the scoring about half an hour into the match, before assisting Erling Haaland’s second goal a few moments later. The icing on the cake was his exceptional free-kick in the dying minutes of the second half, ending his 300th game for the imminent Premier League champions.
If the reports are true, Gundogan has decided to move away from Manchester and Barcelona, the newly crowned La Liga champions, are his preferred destination. Nothing is known for sure at the moment, and an interesting summer awaits.
On Sunday, Brighton’s incredible 3-0 win at the Emirates was what will undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal’s Premier League title chances, ensuring that Manchester City will be proclaimed winners the following week.
The hosts became increasingly aggravated as the Seagulls surrounded them, and Mikel Arteta was cautioned for contempt. Deniz Undav then struck the final blow of the match with a shot over Aaron Ramsdale after former Brighton striker Leandro Trossard had made a serious mistake. To make matters worse, Pervis Estupinan scored the third goal, tapping in the rebound and sparking celebrations in Manchester.