Erling Haaland led Manchester City to a 1-0 victory over Southampton, placing the team at the top of the Premier League standings.
Meanwhile, third-placed Aston Villa faced disappointment as Bournemouth equalized late in their match.
After going three league games without scoring, Haaland broke his drought with a first-half goal at the Etihad Stadium.
This victory propelled Pep Guardiola’s team two points ahead of second-placed Liverpool, who can reclaim the top spot if they win their match against Arsenal on Sunday.
City has maintained an impressive unbeaten record at home for two years, spanning 35 matches, making it unlikely for bottom-of-the-table Southampton who have only one point from nine games this season to disrupt their streak.
With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku sidelined, Guardiola made four changes to the team that dominated Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Although Haaland’s recent goal against Sparta was spectacular, his effort against Southampton proved to be even more crucial in the context of the title race.
In the fifth minute, Matheus Nunes delivered a cross that Haaland converted with determination, giving City an early lead.
Despite missing several opportunities to extend their advantage, Haaland’s 14th goal of the season contributed to City’s strong start, with seven wins out of nine league matches as they aim for a fifth consecutive title.
Aston Villa’s ambitions to challenge for the title faced a setback as they drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at Villa Park.
Villa, who remain unbeaten in the Champions League, took the lead in the 76th minute when Ross Barkley scored his first goal for the club, set up by Leon Bailey.
However, Bournemouth equalized through Evanilson with a header in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
In other matches, Brentford edged past Ipswich in a thrilling 4-3 encounter.
Despite Ipswich taking an early lead, Brentford managed to come back and secure the win with a last-minute goal from Bryan Mbeumo.
Wolves, fighting to avoid a sixth consecutive league defeat, staged a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 at Brighton.
Danny Welbeck scored for Brighton, but Wolves equalized late through Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike.
Everton will face Fulham in the late match on Saturday.
