Manchester City delivered a stunning statement of intent at Stamford Bridge, dismantling Chelsea 3-0 to breathe new life into their Premier League title ambitions.
Pep Guardiola's side capitalised brilliantly on Arsenal's shock defeat to Bournemouth the day before, with the travelling supporters gleefully chanting "Are you watching Arsenal" as their team took control.
The gap to the Gunners now stands at just six points, and City still have a match in hand.
Even more tantalising is what lies ahead – a direct showdown with Arsenal at the Etihad that could reshape the entire title picture.
Rayan Cherki was electric throughout the contest, setting up two goals and cutting Chelsea to pieces
|REUTERS
It's still in both teams' hands now.
Rayan Cherki was absolutely magnificent, orchestrating everything good about City's attacking play and creating all three goals.
The French playmaker's delightful cross found Nico O'Reilly six minutes after the break, with the teenager heading home – he's developing quite the knack for crucial headers after his brace in the Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal.
Just six minutes later, Cherki weaved his magic again, dancing across the Chelsea penalty area before laying the ball into Marc Guehi's path.
The defender made no mistake, finishing with the composure of a striker.
"Oh he is the man right now, living his BEST life!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 12, 2026
Nico O'Reilly stamps his authority at Stamford Bridge with a goal! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d7te8cGs5b
Jeremy Doku then completed the rout, bundling home after Cherki helped force Moises Caicedo into an error.
Chelsea's misery deepened with this result marking their third straight league loss.
The home supporters made their frustrations clear, sarcastically cheering "Ole" as their players passed the ball around aimlessly in the dying moments.
Boos rang out at the final whistle too.
Liam Rosenior will face serious questions now, with his side sitting four points adrift of Liverpool in the race for that final Champions League qualification spot.
The first half had offered some hope – Marc Cucurella thought he'd scored before the flag went up for offside, and Pedro Neto looked lively testing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
But City's second-half surge exposed the gulf between the sides.
The City players were understandably delighted afterwards.
Manchester City ran riot after the first half to expose Chelsea's weaknesses
|REUTERS
"We knew there was a lot of pressure before this game against a good opponent," Doku told Sky Sports.
"The first half was not easy. They were well-organised and we knew we had to keep on going."
He added: "I watched the Arsenal game and when I saw them lose, I saw that the Premier League is really unpredictable."
City fans are starting to believe they can pip Arsenal to the title
|REUTERS
Guehi kept things grounded, saying: "It doesn't really matter" whether Arsenal were watching. "The most important thing is that we did the job today."
Cherki, meanwhile, is already looking forward: "Now we can go and play against Arsenal, which is a big game for us."