City shows a bit more Pep with successive wins

Erling Haaland and Manchester City might just be turning a corner after the team's worst run of results under Pep Guardiola.

Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, as City secured back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since late October, when a shocking and unthinkable six-week meltdown began.

In that time, the defending champion played nine league games and won just once, dropping out of the Champions League qualification spots and raising questions about Guardiola's stomach for a rebuild.

Now, City can hope for better times ahead — especially after making up ground on second-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Chelsea after they both dropped points in draws at Brighton and Crystal Palace, respectively, on Saturday.

Still, Guardiola wasn't getting carried away.

"I'm very pleased for the result," he said, "but you cannot ask me if the old City is back. If you saw the game, we are not."

However, while the 2-0 win at Leicester the previous weekend was unconvincing, there were better signs against West Ham — at least in attack, with Haaland looking sharp.

The Norway striker headed in Savinho's cross to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute and chipped the goalkeeper for 3-0 in the 55th after running onto another pass from Savinho.

Either side of those, there was an own goal and a strike from Phil Foden, before Niclas Fullkrug pulled one back for West Ham.

"We are still not like we were, for different reasons," Guardiola said. "The result will help. We struggle, but it is a release."

City finished the day still in sixth position.

Good day for Liverpool

It was a good day for Liverpool — and the league leader didn't even play.

Arsenal was held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton, which equalized from the penalty spot through Joao Pedro, and missed the chance to trim the gap with Liverpool to three points.

Ethan Nwaneri put Arsenal ahead and, at age 17, became only the sixth player under 18 to score multiple Premier League goals.

Brighton's penalty was awarded after Arsenal defender William Saliba was adjudged to have clashed heads with Pedro as they challenged for a bouncing ball.

Chelsea's winless run in the league extended to four matches after drawing at Palace 1-1.

Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized in the 82nd for Palace, canceling out Cole Palmer's opener.

Chelsea has drawn twice and lost twice since Dec 22, damaging a title bid that had been picking up some steam — even if manager Enzo Maresca never accepted his team was a realistic challenger.

"We still created so many chances in front of goal, but it's about getting the end product," Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho said. "We're still playing the same football, we are still giving 100 percent. This is what happens in football."

In-form Isak

Alexander Isak scored in a seventh straight Premier League game to earn Newcastle a 2-1 win at injury-hit Tottenham.

The Sweden striker grabbed the 38th-minute winner, and there was a hint of fortune about it, with Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin getting the slightest of touches on a cross, and deflecting the ball onto the foot of Isak.

The ball dribbled into the net for Isak's 13th goal of the season, and ninth in his past seven games.

Thomas Tuchel was in the stands on his first scouting mission as recently appointed England manager. Two players likely to be in his first squad, to be announced in March for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, got on the scoresheet in the opening six minutes.

Dominic Solanke headed Tottenham ahead in the fourth minute, and Anthony Gordon equalized.

It was a fifth straight win for fifth-placed Newcastle, while Tottenham stayed in the bottom half of the table with just one point from its last four games.

Southampton thrashed

A change in manager hasn't helped Southampton.

The league's last-placed team was beaten by Brentford 5-0 at home, a third straight defeat under Ivan Juric, who was hired on Dec 21 to replace the fired Russell Martin. Southampton has one point from four games under Juric, and just six points overall.

Bryan Mbeumo scored two of Brentford's goals and has 13 for the season in the league. It was Brentford's biggest ever win in the Premier League.

Aston Villa beat Leicester 2-1, while Bournemouth won at home to Everton 1-0 making it eight games unbeaten — a Premier League record for the club.

Agencies via Xinhua