Jeremy Doku, fresh from his double that rescued a 3-3 draw against Everton, once again delivered a moment of brilliance with a trademark curling finish in the 60th minute to break Brentford’s resistance. From there, Manchester City took full control as Erling Haaland produced a clever backheel for a close-range finish before turning provider for Omar Marmoush to complete a dominant second-half performance.
The win strengthens City’s push for the Premier League title, keeping them level on points with Arsenal and just one goal behind on goal difference ahead of Arsenal’s clash with West Ham at the London Stadium on Super Sunday.
Brentford, however, were left frustrated by several key refereeing calls. Matheus Nunes escaped punishment after a VAR review cleared a last-man challenge on Kevin Schade, while Bernardo Silva avoided more than a yellow card for an off-the-ball incident involving Nathan Collins in a heated first half. The Bees also had a penalty appeal waved away in the second period following another tussle between Nunes and Schade.
Despite their early resilience and a promising chance for Igor Thiago, who failed to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma, Brentford were eventually overwhelmed. City dominated proceedings with 25 shots to Brentford’s four, asserting their superiority after Doku’s fourth goal in three games across all competitions ignited the turnaround.
Haaland, now on 26 Premier League goals for the season, added his trademark poacher’s finish after a goalmouth scramble before assisting Marmoush in stoppage time to seal a commanding victory and keep City firmly in the title race.
