Monday’s briefing: Haaland shoots down Gunners as Moyes moans about derby defeat

Erling Haaland’s second-half winner for Manchester City in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with leaders Arsenal has thrown the Premier League title race wide open, while Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time goal sealed victory in the Merseyside derby at Everton.

Ollie Watkins and Morgan Gibbs-White both pressed their claims for a place in England’s World Cup squad as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest secured vital wins and Celtic booked their place in the Scottish Cup final by scoring four extra-time goals against St Mirren.

Mikel Arteta: I’d just stay at home if we didn’t have title desire

Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal have not blown their chance to win a first Premier League title in 22 years and said he should “stay at home” if his players cannot bounce back from their damaging defeat by Manchester City.

The Gunners, now just three points clear of their rivals, face being usurped from the summit for the first time since September following Haaland’s winner at the Etihad Stadium.

If Pep Guardiola’s men see off Burnley by two clear goals at Turf Moor on Wednesday, City will take control of the title race on goal difference with just five matches to play.

Arsenal entered last month with aspirations of winning the quadruple, but they are seeing their bid for silverware disintegrate before their eyes.

And when asked if he will be presented with a challenge to pick his players up ahead of their next match at home to Newcastle on Saturday, Arteta snapped back: “No. I mean if I have to pick the players up to win the Premier League with five games to go, in our hands, and be in the final of the Champions League, I should be at home.

“It’s not the case. It’s not needed. It’s never been needed, even in difficult moments, and so we will go again.

David Moyes bemoans ‘cruel’ finish to dramatic Merseyside derby

David Moyes felt Everton deserved a penalty and at least a point after the first ever Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium ended in a heart-breaking late defeat by Liverpool.

Van Dijk’s header in the 10th minute of stoppage time secured the Reds a 2-1 win after Beto had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s first-half opener.

Moyes felt his side did a “great job” on Sunday and “showed that we’re not too far away” from Liverpool, but frustration was his overriding emotion after Everton’s European push took a hit.

“Absolutely we (deserved a point),” boss Moyes said. “We didn’t deserve the outcome we got.

“But football’s cruel sometimes and you hopefully have to bounce back and go again when adversity goes against you a wee bit.”

Watkins pushes England case for last-gasp Villa

Watkins strengthened his case for World Cup selection as Aston Villa boosted their bid for Champions League football next season in dramatic fashion.

Watkins – who was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for England’s matches back in March – scored twice in the last-gasp 4-3 home win over Sunderland, taking his goal haul to six goals from five games.

Teenager Chris Rigg claimed his first Premier League goal for Sunderland either side of Watkins’ brace, but Morgan Rogers gave Villa a two-goal cushion straight after the break.

Sunderland looked as if they had claimed an unlikely point when Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor struck inside just 58 seconds as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.

But Tammy Abraham got on to the end of fellow substitute Lucas Digne’s low cross three minutes into stoppage time for Villa to draw level on 58 points with third-placed Manchester United.

Forest win piles the pressure on Tottenham

Gibbs-White struck a 15-minute hat-trick as Nottingham Forest beat Burnley 4-1 to add to Tottenham’s relegation concerns.

Gibbs-White looked to be on his way to Spurs last summer but the England midfielder stayed at Forest and came back to haunt the opposition in remarkable fashion.

Seemingly Championship-bound Burnley led through Zian Flemming’s strike on the stroke of half-time, but Gibbs-White changed the City Ground mood in an extraordinary quarter of an hour with his first career treble.

Igor Jesus added a late fourth as Forest moved five points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham with five games remaining.

Celtic book Scottish Cup final date

Celtic scored four extra-time goals to beat St Mirren 6-2 and reach the Scottish Cup final.

The Buddies trailed 2-0 at half time as Anthony Ralston built on Daizen Maeda’s first-minute effort on the stroke of half-time, but Mikael Mandron’s double – with the leveller coming in the final seconds – took the tie into overtime.

But a ruthless seven-minute spell from Celtic saw Kelechi Iheanacho score twice, as well as goals from fellow substitute Luke Cowan and Benjamin Nygren.

Celtic boss Martin O’Neill will now face his former captain Neil Lennon in the Hampden Park showpiece on May 23 when William Hill Championship club Dunfermline will start as firm underdogs.

What’s on today?

All eyes will be on a London derby at Selhurst Park that has huge ramifications at the bottom of the Premier League.

West Ham are one place and one point above the relegation zone, and Tottenham will be anxious observers from a distance.

The Hammers head to Crystal Palace – who are fresh off reaching the Conference League semi-finals – and a second successive league win will give them breathing space from the bottom three.