The ESPN FC crew discourse Man City ‘s eight-point lead atop the table after Liverpool and Chelsea dropped points. ( 1:33 ) Manchester City will head into the new year with an eight-point leave at the lead of the Premier League after Phil Foden ‘s first-half goal earned them a 1-0 win at Brentford on Wednesday. Foden stroked family in the 16th minute from Kevin De Bruyne ‘s happen and it proved sufficient to seal a tenth consecutive league gain for Pep Guardiola ‘s persistent champions. – ESPN FC 100: Ranking the world’s best men’s players
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With Liverpool losing at Leicester City on Tuesday and Chelsea held by Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, City have seized dispatch control of the title race. They were far from their glib best in west London, however, with Brentford always looking capable of salvaging something. De Bruyne did hit the post after the break and both Foden and Aymeric Laporte had goals disallowed as City sought to give themselves a cushion. But City held on with few actual scares to reach 50 points from 20 games, with Chelsea on 42 from 20 and Liverpool on 41 having played one plot less than the top two. It is the one-fourth prison term Guardiola has enjoyed a 10-game winning sequence since becoming City coach. “ Round Christmas you have to keep your foot on the gasoline and keep focused. This team is doing that, ” Foden said.

Foden was left out of City ‘s starting line-up in their two previous league games against Newcastle United and Leicester City after incurring the wrath of Guardiola for having a night on the township with team mate Jack Grealish. Restored to the starting eleven at Brentford, the 21-year-old made amends with a complete of real choice. Seconds after Joao Cancelo had cleared off the line to deny Brentford the lead, City went ahead in clinical fashion. A flow travel ended with the musket ball played binding to De Bruyne whose natural first-time sink picked out for the fractionally onside Foden. He feathered a volley past Alvaro Fernandez for his fifth league goal of the season. Brentford had started the crippled in bouncy fashion with City keeper Ederson reacting well to keep out a thwart that deflected off of Ruben Dias. City dominated early in the second one-half with Foden heading across-the-board from another De Bruyne delivery before having a goal disallowed for offside.

Brentford rode their luck as De Bruyne smacked a left-footer against the base of the mail before Laporte ‘s majestic header was ruled out for a borderline VAR offside decision. Despite lacking the dash that had seen them score 17 goals in their stopping point three games, City showed they can besides grind out wins when required and are beginning to look unstoppable. Brentford remain in 14th place — nine points above the delegating zone .