Going Haal the way to wire

FIVE-STAR SHOW KEEPS RACE ALIVE

- Steve Bates

FOUR years is a long time in football but for returning hero David Silva it must have felt like yesterday as Manchester City stayed ominously on Arsenal's case.

The Gunners might not be going away, but neither are City as they hunt down a record fourth successive League crown.

Premier Silva, four times a Premier League title winner, was lavishly honoured before kick-off for his shimmering contribution to a success story that appears to have many more chapters ahead.

The adored Spaniard, as much a part of City's recent glittering history as Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, was visiting Manchester with his family. And he'd have recognised as well as anyone that City still possess that merciless quality all great teams display as they destroyed Wolves thanks to four-goal powerhouse Erling Haaland.

Haaland's first-half hat-trick - two from the penalty spot and the other a towering header simply underpinned City's ability to stay on track when the pressure ramps up.