Man City turns corner with successive wins in Premier League as Arsenal and Chelsea drop points

Erling Haaland and Manchester City might just be turning the corner after the team's worst run of results under Pep Guardiola.

Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday as City secured back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since late October, when a shocking and unthinkable six-week meltdown began.

In that time, the defending champions played nine league games and won just once, dropping them out of the Champions League qualification spots and raising questions about Guardiola's stomach for a rebuild.

Now, City can hope for better times ahead — especially after making up ground on second-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Chelsea after they both dropped points in draws at Brighton and Crystal Palace, respectively, on Saturday.

Still, Guardiola wasn't getting carried away.

“I’m very pleased for the result," he said, “but you cannot ask me if the old City is back. If you saw the game, we are not.”

However, while the 2-0 win at Leicester last weekend was unconvincing, there were better signs against West Ham — at least in attack with Haaland looking sharp. The Norway striker headed in Savinho's cross to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute and chipped the goalkeeper for 3-0 in the 55th after running onto another pass from Savinho.

Either side, there was an own-goal and a strike from Phil Foden before Niclas Fullkrug pulled one back for West Ham.

“We are still not like we were, for different reasons,” Guardiola said. "The result will help. We struggle but it is a release.”

City stayed in sixth.

It was a good day for Liverpool — and the league leader didn't even play.

Arsenal was held to 1-1 at Brighton, which equalized from the penalty spot through Joao Pedro, and missed the chance to trim the gap to Liverpool to three points. Ethan Nwaneri put Arsenal ahead and, at age 17, became only the sixth player under 18 to score multiple Premier League goals.

Brighton's penalty was awarded after Arsenal defender William Saliba was adjudged to have clashed heads with Pedro as they challenged for a bouncing ball. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was disappointed with the call, saying: “I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before.”

Chelsea's winless run in the league extended to four matches after drawing at Palace 1-1.

Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized in the 82nd for Palace, cancelling out Cole Palmer's opener.

Chelsea has drawn twice and lost twice since Dec. 22, damaging a title bid that had been picking up some steam — even if manager Enzo Maresca never accepted his team was a realistic challenger.

"We still created so many chances in front of goal but it's about getting the end product," Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho said. “We're still playing the same football, we are still giving 100%. This is what happens in football.”

Liverpool leads Arsenal by five points and Chelsea by nine, and has two games in hand over both rivals. The first comes at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Alexander Isak scored in a seventh straight Premier League game to earn Newcastle a 2-1 win at injury-hit Tottenham.

The Sweden striker grabbed the 38th-minute winner and there was a hint of fortune about it, with Tottenham defender Radu Drăgușin getting the slightest of touches on a cross and deflecting the ball onto the foot of Isak. The ball dribbled into the net for Isak's 13th goal of the season, and ninth in his past seven games.

Thomas Tuchel was in the stands in his first scouting mission in his role as the recently hired England coach. Two players likely to be in his first squad, to be announced in March for World Cup qualifiers, got on the score sheet in the opening six minutes.

Dominic Solanke headed Tottenham ahead in the fourth minute, and Anthony Gordon equalized.

It was a fifth straight win for fifth-placed Newcastle, while Tottenham stayed in the bottom half of the standings with just one point from its last four games.

A change in manager hasn't helped Southampton.

The league's last-placed team was beaten by Brentford 5-0 at home for a third straight defeat under Ivan Juric, who was hired on Dec. 21 to replace the fired Russell Martin. Southampton has one point from four games under Juric and just six points overall.

Bryan Mbeumo scored two of Brentford's goals and has 13 for the season in the league. It was Brentford's biggest ever win in the Premier League.

Aston Villa beat Leicester 2-1, while Bournemouth won at home to Everton 1-0 and was eight games unbeaten — a club record in its time in the Premier League.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Arsenal at the Amex stadium in Brighton, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Brighton's Joao Pedro celebrates after scoring a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Arsenal at the Amex stadium in Brighton, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, left, scores his side's second goal against West Ham during a English Premier League soccer match at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Chelsea's Cole Palmer reatcs during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea in London, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Chelsea's Pedro Neto reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea in London, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, left, scores his side's 2nd goal against West Ham during a English Premier League soccer match at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, left, is congratulated by Savinho after scoring his side's 2nd goal against West Ham during a English Premier League soccer match at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his side's 2nd goal against West Ham during a English Premier League soccer match at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's Dominic Solanke, front, and Newcastle United's Sven Botman battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak score past Tottenham's Brandon Austin during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Saturday Jan. 4, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel struck tents outside two major hospitals in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people, including a local reporter, and wounding another nine, including six reporters, medics said Monday.

Twenty-three other people were killed in separate strikes across the territory, according to hospitals.

Israel has carried out waves of strikes across Gaza and ground forces have carved out new military zones since it ended its ceasefire with Hamas last month. Israel has barred the import of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid for well over a month as it seeks to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the truce agreement they reached in January.

A strike on a media tent outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis at around 2 a.m. set the tent ablaze, killing Yousef al-Faqawi, a reporter for the Palestine Today news website, and another man, according to the hospital. Six other reporters were also wounded in the strike.

The Israeli military said it hit a Hamas militant, without providing further information. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because it is deeply embedded in residential areas.

Israel also struck tents on the edge of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, wounding three people, according to the hospital.

Nasser Hospital said it received another 15 bodies, including six women and four children, from separate strikes overnight and into Monday. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said two additional strikes on homes in Deir al-Balah killed eight people, including three women and three children.

Thousands of people have sheltered in tents set up inside hospital compounds throughout the 18-month war, assuming Israel would be less likely to target them. Israel has raided hospitals on several occasions, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes, allegations denied by hospital staff.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, rampaging through army bases and farming communities and killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 people, and are still holding 59 captives — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel has vowed to keep escalating military pressure until Hamas releases the remaining hostages, lays down its arms and leaves the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will then implement U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle much of Gaza's population to other countries through what the Israeli leader refers to as “voluntary emigration.”

Palestinians say they do not want to leave their homeland, and human rights experts have warned that implementing the Trump proposal would likely amount to mass expulsion in violation of international law.

Netanyahu will meet with Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss Gaza and other issues.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem to call for an agreement to release the captives. Many fear that Netanyahu's decision to resume the fighting has put the remaining hostages in grave danger and hope Trump can help broker another deal.

“Now the moment of truth has come," said Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, addressing Netanyahu. “You are in the United States and you have to sit there with President Trump and close a deal so that everyone will be released home.”

Israel's military offensive has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants or civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at its height displaced around 90% of its population.

This story has been corrected to show that Palestine Today is a news website, not a TV station.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Palestinians inspect the site hit by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors amid the debris of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors amid the debris of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors amid the debris of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the site hit by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors amid the debris of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors amid the debris of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians retrieve a body from the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the site hit by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians mourn their relatives who were killed by an Israeli airstrike, at the hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the site hit by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

FILE - Israeli tanks maneuver along the border with north of the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)