Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal after securing a comfortable 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
The win moved City to within two points of Arsenal with only two matches remaining in the closely contested Premier League title race.
Manager Pep Guardiola rotated his squad heavily, making six changes from the side that defeated Brentford at the weekend, while key players including Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku started on the bench.
Despite the changes, City dominated proceedings and took the lead in the 32nd minute through Antoine Semenyo after a clever assist from Phil Foden.
City doubled their advantage eight minutes later when Foden again provided the assist for Omar Marmoush, who netted his third Premier League goal of the season.
The hosts sealed the victory late in the match when Savinho finished calmly after being set up by Rayan Cherki following a surging run from midfield.
Veteran defender John Stones, who is expected to leave the club at the end of the season, received a warm ovation from supporters after coming on as a substitute in the second half.
The victory takes Manchester City to 77 points, just two behind Arsenal, while Guardiola’s side now hold a slightly superior goal difference advantage.
Speaking before the match, Guardiola defended his decision to rotate the squad, citing the demanding fixture schedule.
“When the schedule is so tight, everybody is fit, everybody needs to help,” the City manager said.
City will now shift attention to the FA Cup Final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday as they pursue a domestic cup double after already winning the League Cup this season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal remain favourites to secure their first Premier League title since 2004 under manager Mikel Arteta.
The title race could continue into the final day of the season depending on results in the remaining fixtures, with Arsenal set to face Burnley and Crystal Palace, while Manchester City take on Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
