The key results in Man City's pursuit of the Treble

Adam Drury
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Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals in his debut season for Manchester City
Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals in his debut season for Manchester City

Manchester City have won 43 of their 60 games this season and need one more for immortality.

Pep Guardiola's side take on Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday and success would see them complete a Treble, not achieved by an English team since Manchester United in 1999.

While each victory is another decisive step towards silverware, some take on more significance than others.

City's stunning campaign was punctuated by wins that will be remembered as sliding doors moments in their pursuit of history.

Manchester City 4-2 Crystal Palace (August 27, 2022 — Premier League)

Having avoided defeat in five of their nine previous meetings with the Citizens, Crystal Palace looked set to continue their hold over the Premier League champions when they led 2-0 at the Etihad after 21 minutes last August.

Instead this game marked the beginning of the phenomenon of Erling Haaland in a sky blue shirt, as he notched his first of six hat-tricks for the season to inspire a 4-2 comeback.

The Norwegian had already netted three goals in three league matches but this was the first game he dominated in typical Haaland fashion, lurking around the six-yard box to pounce on crosses and loose balls.

Erling Haaland had an incredible debut Premier League season
Erling Haaland had an incredible debut Premier League season

Manchester City 4-2 Tottenham (January 19, 2023 — Premier League)

City had lost consecutive matches when Tottenham visited the Etihad in January, with their season in danger of collapsing.

Guardiola's side had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at Southampton before losing the Manchester derby — and at 2-0 down halfway through this game, they looked set to lose three on the spin.

Goals from Julian Alvarez, Haaland and a Riyad Mahrez brace steadied the ship, though, and they would go on to drop just five more points before wrapping up the title.

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal (January 27, 2023 — FA Cup)

Nathan Ake scored the winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup
Nathan Ake scored the winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup

City did not just see off Arsenal in the Premier League title race but also had to deal with the country's second-best team in the FA Cup.

The rivals played out a strange fourth-round tie back in January, with the Gunners making multiple changes to their best XI but still putting up a good fight in a 1-0 defeat.

The game did not feel hugely significant back then but in hindsight was one of the major hurdles cleared on the way to part two of the Treble.

Everton 0-3 Manchester City (May 14, 2023 — Premier League)

Planted between Champions League semi-final ties against Real Madrid, this match was billed by Arsenal fans as one last chance for City to fall off track in the title race.

Instead, the league leaders crushed the Gunners' spirit as an Ilkay Gundogan masterclass saw them breeze past Everton without breaking sweat.

Mikel Arteta's side played Brighton later the same day and had hoped to do so with renewed hope but instead were so demoralised that they barely packed a punch in a 3-0 defeat which all but ended their chances.

Manchester City 4-0 Real Madrid (May 17, 2023 — Champions League)

Three days later, City produced one of the great performances to hammer 14-time European champions Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad.

Just 12 months earlier, Madrid had scored twice in stoppage time and once in extra-time to deny Guardiola's team a place in the final — but they were not given a sniff this time around.

Bernardo Silva's brace broke the back of the tie before Manuel Akanji and Alvarez set up this weekend's showdown.

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Premier LeagueFA CupChampions LeagueManchester CityErling Braut Haaland