Edin Dzeko scored twice to help Manchester City rally past Everton 3-2 Saturday night and stay in control of the Premier League title race.
City had won just one of its previous 15 matches at Goodison Park and fell behind when Ross Barkley curled in a brilliant shot to give Everton an 11th-minute lead.
Sergio Aguero tied it in the 22nd, beating American goalkeeper Tim Howard to the near post for his 17th league goal this season. Aguero left six minutes later with a leg injury he said was minor, and City took a 3-1 lead on goals by Dzeko in the 43rd and 48th minutes.
Romelu Lukaku’s goal in the 65th set up a tense finish, but City held on through more than six minutes of stoppage time.
City (25-6-5) has 80 points and leads on goal difference over Liverpool (25-6-5), which plays Monday at Crystal Palace. Because of its greater goal difference, City likely would win its second title in three years if it wins its final two games against Aston Villa on Wednesday and West Ham on May 11 - both at home.
Chelsea (24-6-6), third with 78 points, hosts Norwich on Sunday.
“The most important thing is to pick up form at the right time and we have two home games left,” City captain Vincent Kompany said. “But the past has taught us to be careful.”
Fulham, which has been in the Premier League since 2001-02, was relegated along with Cardiff when they both lost and Sunderland won 1-0 at Manchester United on Sebastian Larsson’s 30th-minute goal.
Fulham (9-24-4), bought last summer by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan from Mohamed Al Fayed, lost 4-1 at Stoke. Cardiff (7-21-9), in its first season since promotion, was defeated 3-0 at Newcastle.
“I have to apologize for not managing the situation. The club asked me to come - I tried,” said Fulham manager Felix Magath, who in February became the Cottagers’ third manager this season after Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen. “The thing is you can never say any player would like to see relegation, but they didn’t fight enough, especially today.”
After opening with a 4-0 win over Norwich last weekend, interim manager Ryan Giggs saw United (18-12-6) turn in a performance reminiscent of David Moyes’ woeful 10-month tenure that ended when he was fired last month.
“I feel flat,” said Giggs. “The players were flat and I don’t know why. We were putting 5- or 10-yard passes astray, and if you do that in the Premier League you get punished. We’ve had a problem at home all season - it’s not been good enough.”
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ITALY
In a final that started 40 minutes late because of pregame violence, Lorenzo Insigne scored in the 11th and 17th minutes, and Napoli defeated Fiorentina 3-1 to win the Italian Cup.
A fan was in serious condition following a shooting on the outskirts of Rome before the match.
An off-duty police officer also was reportedly injured, and there were scenes of violence inside Stadio Olimpico. A firefighter injured by fireworks thrown from the stands by Napoli supporters.’
New Jersey-born forward Giuseppe Rossi entered in the 72nd minute for Fiorentina, his first game appearance since injuring his right knee on Jan. 5. Rossi plays for Italy’s national team and hopes to make the Azzurri World Cup roster.
Palermo (23-5-9) earned a return to Serie A after a one-year absence with a 1-0 win at Novara that secured the Serie B title. Argentine midfielder Franco Vazquez scored in the 41st minute for the Sicilian club.
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SPAIN
Barcelona conceded a second goal to Getafe’s Angel Lafita in second-half stoppage time for a 2-2 draw at home, dealing a major blow to its hopes of retaining the Spanish league title.
Lionel Messi volleyed in Dani Alves’ pass in the 23rd for his 41st goal this season, only for Lafita to tie it. Substitute Cesc Fabregas set up Alexis Sanchez’s goal in the 67th.
Atletico Madrid (28-3-4), seeking its first league title since 1995, has a three-point lead going into its game Sunday at Levante. Real Madrid (26-4-4), which is three points behind Barcelona, hosts Valencia on Sunday.
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FRANCE
Guingamp beat Rennes 2-0 at Stade de France with French President Francois Hollande looking on and won the French Cup for the second time. It defeated Rennes by 2-1 in the 2009 final.
Defender Jonathan Martins Pereira scored in the 37th minute with a volley, and Mustapha Yatabare headed in his 19th goal of the season in the 46th.
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GERMANY
Mario Goetze scored twice and set up Thomas Mueller’s goal as Bayern Munich (28-2-3), which already has clinched its second straight league title, won 4-1 at Hamburg.
Hamburg (7-20-6) is 16th with 27 points with one game left, one point ahead of Nuremberg (5-17-11) and two in front of Eintracht Braunscheig (6-20-7). The bottom two teams are relegated and the 16th-place club goes to a playoff for a Bundesliga berth next season.
Augsburg won 1-0 at Braunschweig as Raul Bobadilla scored with a lob four minutes into second-half injury time. Nuremberg lost 2-0 to visiting Hannover.
Before Borussia Dortmund beat visiting Hoffenheim 3-2, home team fans gave a warm sendoff to Robert Lewandowski, who is joining Bayern next season, and Manuel Friedrich, who is retiring.
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NETHERLANDS
American forward Juan Agudelo had a goal and an assist in the final game of his loan to Utrecht, a 2-1 home win over Vitesse on the final day of the Dutch Eredivisie season.
The 21-year-old scored three goals in 14 league games during his loan from Stoke.
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