On Saturday, Phil Foden fired Manchester City to a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, bringing the reigning Premier League contenders within a point of leaders Liverpool.
With Liverpool playing Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday, City took advantage of the chance to close the gap on Jurgen Klopp's team.
Foden scored in the first half at Dean Court, and City overcame a rocky second period to win for the 13th time in their last 14 games across every league.
Pep Guardiola's side were not at their best on the south coast when they chased an unprecedented fourth ongoing Premier League title, but they showed the tenacity needed to grind out an important win
While Liverpool remains in first place, City is closing in, extending their unbeaten streak in every league to 17 games since losing at Aston Villa in December.
City travel to Luton for the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday before hosting Manchester United in an important league game the following weekend.
Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, but City quickly found their stride.
Foden flicked a pinpoint pass to Erling Haaland, who sprinted toward goal only to miss with a drive that whistled wide.
Bournemouth nearly made Haaland pay for his error when Milos Kerkez's well-placed shot forced a fine save from Ederson.
But City were quickly back on the attack, with the livewire Foden forcing Bournemouth keeper Neto into action for the first time with a distant shot.
Bournemouth failed to heed the warning when Foden put the away team ahead in the 24th minute.
Haaland muscled his way into a penalty area and fired a shot that Neto could only deflect to Foden, who had the easy task of tapping into the empty net.
Foden's 16th goal in all competitions so far was almost followed by an amazing goal from City midfielder Bernardo Silva, who curled just wide.
Bournemouth had been without a league win in seven games since Boxing Day, but they recovered to give City a genuine scare.
Ederson saved well from Ryan Christie's strike just before half-time, and the Brazilian was ordered back into action right after the break.
Justin Kluivert was given too a lot of room outside the City area, and Ederson blocked the Bournemouth forward's low drive at full stretch.
Guardiola was shifting uncomfortably on the touchline after another narrow victory over Brentford in midweek, as Bournemouth gained confidence.
Marcus Tavernier squandered an opportunity to equalise with a poor finish from Antoine Semenyo's cross.
Tavernier made a far worse miss moments later, scuffing wide from 10 yards with the goal at his disposal.
City, who are usually steadfast, were reeling for a change, but Ederson kept his team's lead with a superb save on Dominic Solanke' header.
In his final action before his replacement by Julian Alvarez, Haaland's powerful surge ended with a good save by Neto.
City were nervous until the final whistle, but Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara squandered a good opportunity before Enes Unal's header went inches wide.On Saturday, Phil Foden fired Manchester City to a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, bringing the Premier League title rivals within a point of leaders Liverpool.
With Liverpool playing Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday, City took advantage of the chance to close the gap on Jurgen Klopp's team.
Foden scored in the first half at Dean Court, and City overcame a rocky second half to win for the 13th time in their last 14 games across all competitions.
Pep Guardiola's side were not at their finest on the south coast when they chased a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title, but they showed the tenacity needed to grind out a crucial victory.
While Liverpool remains in first place, City is closing in, extending their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 17 games since losing at Aston Villa in December.
City travel to Luton for the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday before hosting Manchester United in an important league game the following weekend.
Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, but City swiftly discovered their stride.
Foden flicked a pinpoint pass to Erling Haaland, who sprinted toward goal only to miss with a drive that whistled wide.
Bournemouth almost made Haaland pay for his error when Milos Kerkez's well-placed shot forced a fine save from Ederson.
But City were quickly repelled on the attack, with the livewire Foden forcing Bournemouth keeper Neto into action for the first time with a long-range shot.
Bournemouth failed to heed the warning when Foden put the visitors ahead in the 24th minute.
Haaland muscled forward into the penalty area and fired a shot that Neto could only deflect to Foden, who had a simple job of tapping into an unoccupied goal.
Foden's 16th goal in all competitions this season was almost followed by an amazing goal from City midfielder Bernardo Silva, who curled just wide.
Bournemouth had been without a league win in seven games since Boxing Day, but they recovered to give City a genuine scare.
Ederson saved well from Ryan Christie's strike just before half-time, and the Brazilian was ordered back into action immediately after the break.
Justin Kluivert was given too a lot of room outside the City area, and Ederson blocked the Bournemouth forward's low drive at full stretch.
Guardiola shifted uncomfortably on the touchline after another narrow victory over Brentford in midweek, as Bournemouth gained confidence.
Marcus Tavernier squandered a chance to equalise with a poor finish from Antoine Semenyo's cross.
Tavernier made an even worse miss moments later, scuffing wide from 10 yards with the goal at his reach.
City, who are usually unflappable, were struggling for a change, but Ederson kept his team's lead with a superb save on Dominic Solanke' header.
In his final action before being replaced by Julian Alvarez, Haaland's powerful surge ended with a good save by Neto.
City were nervous until the final whistle, but Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara squandered a good chances before Enes Unal's header went meters wide.
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