It started as an evening of celebration for Manchester City. It ended with the four-time defending Premier League champion conceding four goals and falling to a fifth-straight loss in all competitions as it faces a deepening crisis in a season that is threatening to unravel.
A 4-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday left City five points behind league leader Liverpool, having played a game more, and with manager Pep Guardiola questioning whether he could get its title challenge back on track.
“I would say when you lose three Premier League (games) in a row, the wrong thing to say is we are going to be champion,” Guardiola said. “But the reality is here, we have to do it guys. We have to break (the run), start to win games.”
Two goals from James Maddison inside 20 minutes at the Etihad Stadium stunned the home crowd, which had been treated to a light show before kickoff to mark midfielder Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or award for the best soccer player in the world.
With Guardiola also having signed a two-year contract extension this week, there was double reason to celebrate. But City's latest loss highlighted onfield problems that he is struggling to stop. Pedro Porro scored a third for Tottenham after halftime and substitute Brennan Johnson added a fourth in the third minute of stoppage time.
Defeat extended what was already Guardiola's worst losing streak in a glittering coaching career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.
It also handed Liverpool a perfect opportunity to tighten its grip on the title race when it plays last-place Southampton on Sunday. City plays Liverpool at Anfield next weekend.
Rivals are also closing in on second-place City, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton all winning on Saturday to move within a point of Guardiola’s team.
“If in the end we don’t win (the title) it’s because we don’t deserve it," Guardiola said. "We won it in the past because we deserved it.”
Losing streak
After losses to Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting Lisbon and Brighton, City was looking to get the season back on track with a win that would have closed the gap to Liverpool to two points.
But a flying start from Spurs soon put the home team on course for another loss as Maddison volleyed in from close range in the 13th minute and produced a delicate finish to lift the ball over Ederson for his second in the 20th.
Porro blasted in a third after a swift counter in the 52nd and Johnson completed City’s misery with Guardiola admitting his players were “fragile” after the latest loss.
Rivals close in
Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton are six points behind Liverpool after taking the chance to keep the pressure on Arne Slot’s team.
Third-place Chelsea beat Leicester 2-1 in the early kickoff and Arsenal, in fourth, won 3-0 against Nottingham Forest. Fifth-place Brighton won 2-1 at Bournemouth to maintain its outstanding start to the season under new coach Fabian Hurzeler.
Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea on course for victory at King Power Stadium, with Jordan Ayew scoring for Leicester with a second-half stoppage-time penalty.
Jackson showed good close control in the box before firing Chelsea in front with a clever finish in the 15th minute. It was the Senegal striker’s seventh goal in 13 appearances this season.
Fernandez headed in Chelsea’s second in the 75th after Jackson’s header was saved by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. Ayew’s penalty came too late for Leicester to mount a fightback.
Arteta landmark
Mikel Arteta celebrated his 250th game in charge of Arsenal in style with victory against Forest.
It was his 147th win in all competitions — more than any Arsenal manager after the same number of games. Club great Arsene Wenger won 136 of his first 250 games.
Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead in the 15th at the Emirates Stadium and Thomas Partey added a second seven minutes into the second half. The 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri scored his first Premier League goal for the club in the 86th.
Flying high
Brighton’s impressive run continued with victory at Bournemouth to keep it just outside the Champions League places on goal difference.
U.S.-born Hurzeler was hired in June and has made an immediate impact.
Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma put Brighton 2-0 up at the Vitality Stadium, with David Brooks pulling a goal back for Bournemouth in stoppage time.
Villa slides
Aston Villa’s winless run was extended to six games after a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. And it could have been worse for Unai Emery’s team, which twice came back from a goal behind at home.
Palace, which is third from bottom of the standings, twice led in the first half through Ismaila Sarr and Justin Devenny. Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley leveled for Villa on each occasion.
Villa hasn’t won since beating Bologna 2-0 in the Champions League on Oct. 22. It has lost four of its last six games in all competitions and is seventh in the standings.
Wolves comeback
Trailing 1-0 at Fulham, Wolves powered back to win 4-1 at Craven Cottage and climb out of the relegation zone.
Wolves is in 17th place and one point above the drop zone after its second league win of the season.
Alex Iwobi put Fulham ahead, but two goals from Matheus Cunha and strikes from Joao Gomes and Goncalo Guedes saw Wolves secure back-to-back wins in the league and extend the team’s unbeaten run to four games.
Everton drew 0-0 with Brentford.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
