Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool

Manchester City’s stunning slump deepened after losing to Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We don’t have a defense for the results. They are not good,” Guardiola said.

Third-placed Arsenal closed the gap on league leader Liverpool to three points with a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, but has played two games more.

City dropped to sixth in the standings, nine points below Liverpool, and has played two games more.

“It’s about what I can do with my people to get the results back and continue,” Guardiola said. “If there is a moment that I cannot overthink, it is right now. Try to be simple, stick to my principles and give certainty to the team.”

After winning six titles in seven years and an unprecedented four in a row, City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping. Guardiola admitted last week he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

City was without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy after fourth-placed Nottingham Forest won at Brentford 2-0 to move four points clear of City.

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in 2021, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed as the champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in 2020, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until February. Guardiola also lost six times in his first season in English soccer in 2016-17 and City finished third.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic from a dominant Villa, which moved up to fifth.

Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist. Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

It’s five goals in a week for Gabriel Jesus against Crystal Palace.

After scoring a hat trick in Arsenal’s 3-2 comeback win against Palace in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, the Brazil striker hit another two goals when the teams met again on Saturday.

Going into Wednesday’s game, Jesus had only scored once for Arsenal since the end of January.

Jesus struck twice in a frantic start at Selhurst Park. He opened the scoring in the sixth, with Ismaila Sarr leveling five minutes later.

Jesus restored Arsenal’s lead in the 14th and was denied back-to-back hat tricks when hitting the post and then having another close range effort saved by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice also scored for Arsenal.

If City’s demise is a surprise story of the season, so is Forest’s rise.

After battling relegation for much of last term, Forest is in contention to qualify for the Champions League and possibly more.

Facing a Brentford team that was unbeaten at home, goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga secured another statement win on the road for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, having already won at Anfield and Old Trafford this year.

Alexander Isak hit a hat trick in Newcastle’s 4-0 win at Ipswich.

The Sweden international, who has 10 goals in his last 11 games, wrapped up his treble inside 54 minutes at Portman Road, including one in the opening minute. Jacob Murphy also scored.

Brighton was 1-0 up at West Ham through Mats Wieffer, but Mohammed Kudus levelled for the draw.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, at Selhurst Park, in London, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus, right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, at Selhurst Park, in Luton, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, at Selhurst Park, in Luton, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Brighton and Hove Albion's Mats Wieffer, center, celebrates scoring with teammates during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion at the London Stadium, London, Saturday Dec 21, 2024. (Ben Whitley/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, centre right, shoots on target during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, right, celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

BERLIN (AP) — Florian Wirtz starred and Patrik Schick scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen routed Freiburg 5-1 on Saturday to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich over the winter break.

Wirtz, who has yet to extend his Leverkusen contract, set up a hat trick for Schick and scored his seventh league goal of the season.

Leverkusen dominated but needed patience before Schick broke the deadlock with a chip over the goalkeeper right before the break.

Wirtz, who’d played Schick through, score after the break when he displayed brilliant close control to elude a defender before firing the ball inside the near post from a narrow angle.

Vincenzo Grifo pulled one back four minutes later, but Wirtz floated in a precise cross for Schick to head Leverkusen’s third in the 67th, then laid the ball back for Schick to fire Leverkusen’s fourth in the 74th.

“For a striker, it's a dream to have this player behind you,” Schick said of Wirtz.

Schick scored again with a header to a corner three minutes later — the only goal that didn’t involve Wirtz.

Leverkusen stayed four points behind Bayern after its eighth straight win across all competitions.

Leverkusen resumes its league defense at Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 10, while Bayern visits Borussia Mönchengladbach on Jan. 11.

Brazilian goalkeeper Kauã Santos endured a game to forget as his Eintracht Frankfurt was shocked by 10-man Mainz 3-1.

Frankfurt had 34 shots at goal compared to nine by the visitor, which played with a man less from the 21st after captain Nadiem Amiri was sent off for catching Ellyes Skhiri’s right ankle with his studs.

Santos had already conceded an unfortunate own goal. The 'keeper played out a short pass to Skhiri, who was immediately under pressure from two Mainz players. Skhiri sent the ball looping back toward Santos, who deflected it onto the crossbar, from where it rebounded back off Santos’ arm and in.

Mainz’s Paul Nebel then scored with a deflected shot for 2-0, and Santos was at fault again when a botched pass invited another Mainz attack. Nebel grabbed his second goal in the 58th.

Rasmus Kristensen, who struck the crossbar in the first half, scored Frankfurt’s consolation in the 75th.

“We were already there for Kauã as a team on the field,” Frankfurt defender Robin Koch said of Santos' bad day. “He's a young player, these things happen. But he's a good guy, he'll come out of it and the same will help him with his development.”

Regular goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and reserve Jens Grahl were out with illness.

Johannes Eggestein fired promoted St. Pauli to a 1-0 win at Stuttgart, last season’s runner-up. Stuttgart had won its last four games across all competitions.

Union Berlin’s winless run stretched to nine games across all competitions as Bo Svensson’s team slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Werder Bremen.

Holstein Kiel ended its five-game losing run by routing Augsburg 5-1, and Borussia Mönchengladbach won at Hoffenheim 2-1.

There were tributes with silences before all the games for the victims of an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg the night before.

“There are always more important things than football,” Freiburg coach Christian Günter said.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Stuttgart'sAnthony Rouault , left, and St. Pauli's Carlo Boukhalfa, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and FC St. Pauli, in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Hoffenheim'sValentin Gendrey, left, and Moenchengladbach's Robin Hack, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jan-Philipp Strobel/dpa via AP)

Werder's Derrick Koehn, left, and Berlin's Rani Khedira, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bremen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen./dpa via AP)

Augsburg's Marius Wolf, left, challenges for the ball with Kiel's Finn Porath, centre, and Shuto Machino during the Bundesliga soccer between Holstein Kiel and FC Augsburg in Kiel, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Frank Molter /dpa via AP)

The Kiel defense blocks a free kick from Augsburg's Phillip Tietz, third from right, during the Bundesliga soccer between Holstein Kiel and FC Augsburg in Kiel, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Frank Molter /dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Yannik Keitel, right, reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and FC St. Pauli, in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Mainz' Danny da Costa, left, and Frankfurt's Farees Chaibi, right challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Mainz' scorer Paul Nebel, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Mainz' head coach Bo Henriksen gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Mainz' Paul Nebel, front, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's head coach Dino Toppmoeller gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)