Manchester City Wins on Penalty Kick If Manchester City is to become England's champion after 44 years of longing for that title, its followers around the world might remember Sunday as the day Lady Luck finally bestowed her full favors on the Blues. City overcame third-place Tottenham Hotspur, 3-2, with a penalty winner in the fourth and final minute of added time. It was scored by Mario Balotelli, who, not for the first time, appeared fortunate to still be on the field. Balotelli's penalty kick was sweet science and the epitome of calm under pressure. But his stamp on the face of Scott Parker, an opponent he had bundled to the ground 10 minutes earlier, could justly have been penalized with a red card. Balotelli, already cautioned for a reckless foul, was given the benefit of the doubt by Howard Webb, a referee whose tolerance of violence may be remembered by the millions who viewed the 2010 World Cup final. City's victory was harsh for Spurs, who had rallied from two goals down to deserve, at the very least, a share of the points. Seconds before the penalty, for a foul on Balotelli, Tottenham missed a chance from just a yard out to win the match. Such are the vagaries of the Premier League. A naughty, possibly nasty, Balotelli stays on the pitch, and Mr. Cool Balotelli breaks Tottenham's long unbeaten run and possibly finishes off the Spurs" title aspiration. If so, it becomes a two-horse championship, between the Manchesters. Manchester United had traveled south to tackle Arsenal in London half an hour after the City-Spurs match ended. United had devoured Arsenal, 8-2, when they met at Old Trafford in October. And despite losing the accomplished 19-year-old Phil Jones with a badly wrenched ankle in the first half, United rose to the occasion when its wing Antonio Valencia powerfully headed in a perfect cross from Ryan Giggs just before halftime. Arsenal by then was troubled. It had started with 18-year-old Alex Oslade-Chamberlain, a small, sturdy and exciting winger whose pedigree as the son of a former England winger is well charted. But when Manager Arsène Wenger put another 18-year-old, Nicholas Yennaris, into Arsenal's defense, it had the look of a desperate measure to a team short of fit, experienced defenders. Ultimately, although Arsenal equalized, United won, 2-1. So, the Manchesters power on toward their intracity duel between now and the season's end, in May. "A lot can happen," United's veteran manager, Alex Ferguson, had said before his game Sunday. What we've got to do is stay on City's coattails, and we will. You bet they will. No club in England has greater experience at chasing down the title, as United has proved by winning the Premier League 12 times since it was formed in 1992. And experience is golden in these situations. Giggs, 38, was playing before the teenagers were born, and even his age is eclipsed by Brad Friedel, the 40-year-old goalie of Tottenham. Friedel is the quiet American, breaking records for longevity in the league. He has not missed a competitive match in seven years. He keeps his body trim and his desire strong. Twice in the first half, Friedel rushed from his goal line to thwart Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero. Yet after a cagey opening 45 minutes, which was rather like watching heavyweight pugilists spar with each other, the big hits came after the break. The first to get in the blows was City. At 56 minutes, David Silva, the supreme passer in this league this season, split Tottenham's defense with a ball inviting Samir Nasri to score with a first-time shot from about 55 feet. Within three minutes, City defender Joleon Lescott bundled in a second goal after a corner kick was deflected his way by Dzeko. That double strike seemed to spur Tottenham. Sixty seconds after Lescott's goal, a woefully misplaced header from City's reserve defender Stefan Savic allowed Jermain Defoe to intercept the ball and run around goalkeeper Joe Hart to score. Barely another five minutes had elapsed before Gareth Bale curled a left-foot volley beyond Hart's reach. Only the most talented of men, and only a few in any generation, can strike a ball as cleanly as that and make it travel as if guided by some hidden concept of mind over object control. Superb, and yet futile. Bale then created, and Defoe squandered, an opportunity for Spurs to win the match three minutes into added time. City swiftly broke the length of the field, Balotelli was fouled by Ledley King, and Balotelli converted the penalty kick. The match was over, but down in London, United was still in pursuit. Arsenal came back in the second half, typically through its captain, Robin van Persie. Having missed one opportunity, he made no mistake when Oxlade-Chamberlain provided him with the pass for a second, in the 71st minute. Van Persie's celebration was personal. He raised his shirt to reveal a message on his undershirt dedicating the goal to his 91-year-old grandfather. However, remember those words from Ferguson: "What we've got to do is stay on City's coattails, and we will." United won the game, and kept the gap at the top at 3 points in City's favor, with a winning goal after 81 minutes. Valencia created it, Danny Welbeck finished it, and the two-horse Manchester race to the title is still on.