MANCHESTER, April 19 (Reuters) - Manchester City striker Erling Haaland picked the perfect time to end his lean spell in the Premier League with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal to give his side the edge in the title race on Sunday.
The Norwegian had not scored in the league since February but his emphatic finish after 65 minutes of a compelling Etihad Stadium showdown proved decisive as City moved three points behind Arsenal with a game in hand.
Victory over relegation-bound Burnley on Wednesday would move City top of the table with five games to play.
Arsenal, who have been favourites to win their first title since 2004 having led the race since October, have 70 points from 33 games with City on 67 from 32.
City began the game with momentum after Arsenal's surprise home defeat by Bournemouth last week had opened the door and they got the perfect start with Rayan Cherki's brilliant solo goal giving them the lead in the 16th minute.
But Arsenal's Kai Havertz was gifted an equaliser less than two minutes later after a mistake by City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City survived some scares after the break but as they pushed forward Haaland struck the decisive blow with his 23rd league goal of the season deciding what could be a pivotal duel.
Arsenal had lost their last three domestic games in all competitions while City have been resurgent since beating Mikel Arteta's side in the League Cup final.
City almost took the lead when Cherki's shot glanced off Gabriel's shoulder and hit the post.
Arsenal appeared to have recovered from their edgy start but fell behind after a moment of brilliance from Cherki, the Frenchman gliding into the area with deft footwork before threading a right-footed finish past David Raya.
Arsenal were rocked but were level inside two minutes as Donnarumma endured a nightmare moment. Hesitating over a clearance from a throw-in, he was closed down by Havertz, the ball ricocheting off the German and into the net.
The equaliser took the sting out of City, though they recovered their passing rhythm as halftime approached and it took sharp awareness from Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie to block a goal-bound Antoine Semenyo effort.
City turned the screws after the break, dominating possession as Arsenal retreated. Semenyo's touch let him down when played through and Jeremy Doku fared little better, shooting straight at Raya.
Arsenal sprang back into life, however, and Donnarumma redeemed himself with a save from Havertz before the Italian was rescued by his post as Eze let fly from distance.
Just as the Arsenal fans began to find their voices, they were silenced in the 64th minute. Nico O'Reilly played the ball across the area and Haaland swept his shot past Raya.
City then lived dangerously as a free kick into their box deflected off O'Reilly and on to the post.
Tempers frayed as the clock ticked down with the game-long battle between Gabriel and Haaland reaching boiling point when both were shown yellow cards for butting heads.
Arsenal pumped balls into City's box in stoppage time but Havertz wasted a golden chance to equalise as his free header rippled the top of the net.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
