Tag: sports

Title Race Goes Into The Hands of Manchester City

After a crazy weekend in the Premier League title race, Manchester City are gifted the top spot in the league after both Arsenal and Liverpool lost their games at home.

Manchester City kicked off the weekend with a 5-1 convincing victory over Luton leaving fans reassurance that they aren’t giving up on the title race with a wonderful team performance from City. Despite the 5-1 win they were still sitting 3rd in the league with fans still expecting to not reach the top spot this weekend.

However, it all went in City’s favour on the Sunday with Liverpool kicking off the day against Crystal Palace at Anfield in, what seemed like, a standard win for them. Despite that, Eze shocked Liverpool with a goal in the 14th minute which ended up being the only goal of the game and putting Liverpool’s title race in the balance with City now ahead of them in the league.

Although Liverpool dropped points, City were not to remain at the top if Arsenal were to win their game against Aston Villa who are sitting 4th in the league. City are coming off the back of a 4-1 victory over Villa which led to fans believing that they aren’t the team that got them into 4th spot anymore.

But something to keep in mind was that in the game against City, they were missing Watkins, McGinn, Martinez and Diaby who were all very influential in the game against Arsenal.

The game with Arsenal was very defensive until the the 85th minute where Leon Bailey put the ball in the back of the net to shock the home side with Ollie Watkins doubling the lead only 3 minutes later to send the Arsenal fans into a shock with a possible repeat of last years ‘bottle’ that saw them lose the league to City after being in the top spot for most of the year.

Ollie Watkins has now registered his 19th goal of the season, only 1 goal behind Erling Haaland, proving to fans that he is striker that is one of the most prolific goalscorers the league has seen this year and the past.

After the past weekend of games, City are now sat in the top spot with 73 points with Arsenal and Liverpool sat on 71 with all teams only 6 games to play left in the league where City have the easiest run-in of games of the three and Arsenal still are yet to face Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham which could see City lift the title yet again.

What to Expect From Man City vs Luton

With the title race coming down to the wire in its final 7 games in the Premier League, Manchester City face ‘must win’ games including welcoming Luton to the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

With the Etihad Stadium being something of a fortress over the last 2 years, any team to come and visit Manchester would come away with a draw in the BEST case scenario with teams such as Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal all failing to get a win at the Etihad Stadium.

The upcoming game with Real Madrid could mean that Guardiola would rest players such as Phil Foden or Ruben Dias with the strength in depth of their bench, City can afford for Jeremy Doku and Rico Lewis to step into the side for their tie this weekend.

It is reported that De Bruyne’s illness earlier in the week came from food poisoning which he seems to be recovered mostly from and will be fit for next weeks reverse fixture of the champions league tie against Real Madrid and could star in this weekends tie against Luton Town.

Manchester City go into the game against Luton 1 point off the top spot in the Premier League with Arsenal and Liverpool sitting on 71 points. The run in for Arsenal is without a doubt the hardest of the three where they have to face off against Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United in games that could cause their title race could come crumbling down.

City also have to deal with the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League in the space of 8 days with games against Real Madrid and Chelsea in the cup competitions possibly leaning towards resting certain players that wouldn’t need to play the full 90 minutes against Luton.

The team that could possibly be sent out this weekend, should be weaker than usual with Ederson maybe returning to the side and Rico Lewis, Mattheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku returning to their starting XI still possibly regaining their Premier League title.

The Two Titan Teams Forced To a 3-3 Draw at The Bernabeu

Two giants in global football faced off last night at the Bernabeu with the greatest club in the world against the best team in the world in this huge champions league clash.

The game is a repeat of the last three years of Champions League football with these two teams facing each other in the knockout stages with both teams having 1 win a piece, each year one of the two teams winning the competition.

This game had the skill and talent to become a final game however, it was a quarterfinal tie with one of these great teams being taken out of the competition so quickly in the tie next week with the aggregate score being 3-3.

With the run in into the game, people were fixated on the battle between the two hot English talents, Jude Bellingham vs Phil Foden. However, the Real Madrid youngster didn’t have much success compared to the Stockport lad. Phil Foden scored an insane goal from outside of the 18-yard box rocketing into the top left of the goal putting the game level at 2-2 60 minutes in.

The game started off crazy with a 2nd minute free-kick goal from Bernardo Silva which was answered back from Real Madrid with 2 goals in 2 minutes from the 13th-15th minute tie-ing up the game until the second half where Guardiolas side retaliated with 2 incredible goals from Foden and Gvardiol putting the game in their favour. However, it was short lived with Valverde having a sweet volley shot from the edge of the box rattling into the bottom corner of Ortegas goal.

Rodri’s incredible unbeaten run continues with 66 wins in all competitions after the 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu. The reverse fixture of this game should carry on this run with the Etihad being a fortress unbeaten for over a year which could lean towards a repeat of last years tie where it was all square in Madrid and once it kicked off in Manchester, City dominated 4-0 against Real Madrid.

Manchester City will still face Luton Town on the 13th of April at 15:00 with the run up to the reverse fixture in Manchester where they cannot afford to rest too many crucial players in the title race that has fans biting their nails to see if the treble can actually be retained for two years in a row.

Man City Injury Updates Ahead Of Real Madrid Tonight

Pep Guardiola’s treble winning Manchester City return to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid who they beat 5-1 on aggregate last year, despite having a 1-1 draw in Madrid but dominating at the Etihad.

They come into this game with a different team as they are missing key parts of what kept Real Madrid at only 1 goal in the two legs. Real Madrid have also changed but they changed for the better with the addition of Jude Bellingham who has become a scoring machine in the La Liga this year.

City Injuries

Kyle Walker

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The City captain took a hit during his International duty for England where he went to the floor and was unable to play on during friendly games. Despite it only being a friendly, Gareth Southgate put out 33 year old Walker who has been crucial to Manchester City’s defence this year.

His involvement in last years tie against Real Madrid made sure that Vinicius Jr’s speed and dribbling was kept to a minimal 1 goal. Without Walker to face, Vinicius could see a few goals to his name during this tie which would cause some serious problems for City.

Rico Lewis has been playing in the right back role in Walkers absence. Despite how good the youngster is, Vinicius Jr could cause too many problems for the 19 year old.

Nathan Ake

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Nathan Ake joins Kyle Walker in being the only two first team players that haven’t travelled with the side to Madrid for the first leg of this huge tie. An injury that was picked up 2 weeks ago in the Arsenal vs Man City game which saw him off the pitch in the first half meant that Rico Lewis had to step into his position.

In a statement from the manager, Guardiola states that Ake and Walker aren’t close to coming back and wouldn’t be travelling with the squad to face Real Madrid.

In Ake’s absence, it has given the opportunity for Rico Lewis to start as the only natural full-back left on the City books that is un-injured and fit to play. All signs point to a Rico Lewis start for tonight’s game at the Bernabeu.

Josko Gvardiol

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In the 4-2 win over Crystal Palace on the weekend, Pep Guardiola made a surprise substitution at half time for Josko Gvardiol taking to the bench and Manuel Akanji coming into the starting XI for the final 45 minutes.

It was later confirmed that he felt uneasy and the boss decided that it was better to not risk it and brought him to the bench to try and preserve his body for future games. The game was tied 1-1 at half time and even without the Croatian, they managed to take the game 4-2 in the end.

Despite being not fully ready, he has travelled with the squad to Madrid but it is doubtful that he will be a starter for the game with the Manchester City defence being 3 men down that are all usual starters for Pep’s side this year.

Ederson

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Ederson, after taking a hit during the game against Liverpool nearly a month ago, is now fit for selection for the Real Madrid game tonight. However, despite him being back to fit and ready for selection.

”Ederson comes back from being injured and feels good, I think. So I have to decide if a lack of rhythm. But we’re really pleased from Stefan, an exceptional keeper”

Says Pep Guardiola in post press conference after 4-2 win over Crystal Palace.

Ortega has been exceptional in goal for the treble winners in Edersons absence and City fans are slowing realising that Ortega has the capability to become a starter for a world class team with his talents and composure.

It is expected that Manchester City will come into the game with a chip on their shoulder losing their captain and 3 of their starting 4 defenders, however, the Citizens are well known for their strength in depth with the talent that they have in their academy and they reverse rosters such as Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji and John Stones returning from his injury just in time for the Real Madrid tie.

Mainoo SHOCKS Liverpool With Stunner To Force a Draw at Old Trafford

Kobbie Mainoo strikes the ball to send it right into the top right corner of the goal to put Liverpool’s title dreams a bit shaky with Arsenal and Manchester City now breathing down the neck of Liverpool with Arsenal sitting at the top of the league after beating Brighton 3-0 on Saturday and City defeating Palace 4-2.

After knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, they had a repeat of the fixture once again with a similar result coming out of it despite not getting the win.

Liverpool were heavy favourites to win the tie with revenge on their minds but also the immense pressure of not being allowed to drop any points in the run in to the end of the season. However, United youngster, Mainoo, had other ideas with a beautiful goal from the edge of the box curling into the top corner of the net giving United the lead for a brief moment before an awful tackle from Wan-Bisaka led to Salah slotting home a penalty to tie up the game and end it 2-2.

Manchester United taking away the two points from Liverpool leave the Premier League title race neck and neck between the three sides with only goal difference separating Liverpool and Arsenal with City trailing behind by only 1 point.

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Willy Kambwala earned himself a start in this game and he did not disappoint with a strong showing from himself and his partnership alongside Harry Maguire managed to shut out Liverpool from getting a significant chance inside of their half with both goals being set-pieces, which gives credit to the young Frenchman alongside Maguire.

United next game is against Bournemouth in the Premier League where they are still fighting for an unlikely spot in Europe for next season with themselves being 11 points behind Villa and Spurs who are neck and neck for the fourth place finish that is so attractive to United fans as of recent.

Liverpool will go on to face Crystal Palace at home with hopes to regain their lost points with a win keeping themselves in contention with the win and hopefully a good send off for Klopp in his final season.

Manchester City Cruise Past Palace with 4-2 Victory

Manchester City keep their name in the race for the Premier League with a comfortable win over Crystal Palace with Kevin De Bruyne bagging a brace and an assist after being rested in the midweek game against Aston Villa.

After a hat-trick performance against Villa, Phil Foden was awarded with a rest in this tie ahead of the huge Champions league tie against Real Madrid. In his place was the world class, Kevin De Bruyne who didn’t disappoint with 2 goals and an assist to put the game to bed.

With his second goal, he set a milestone and joins the 100 club for Manchester City goals going onto the list of players that is very limited to legends of the club. De Bruyne can now be put down in the City history books as a legend of the club.

Their win over Palace puts City in the title race with Arsenal and Liverpool both getting results from their games that keeps the title race neck and neck and could possibly go down to the final day once again potentially creating another ‘93:20′ moment.

The double-treble is most definitely on for with Manchester City not ‘dominating’ the Premier League as to speak, however, their chances are very good to grab another repeat with the semi-finals of the FA Cup against Chelsea coming up soon and the super important repeat tie of Manchester City vs Real Madrid in the Champions League set to play tomorrow night.

Their next Premier League game is against Luton at the Etihad Stadium on the 13th of April being a must win game which all of their games in the run in, are going to be.

Palmer Hat-Trick Sinks Manchester United in 4-3 Thriller

Manchester City academy star, Cole Palmer sinks Manchester United in late thriller with a hat-trick to end their 7 year dry streak against United at Stamford Bridge. He registers his first professional hat-trick against United similar to academy team mate, Phil Foden.

Palmer has been on fire this year with now clocking in 24 G/A in 25 games in the Premier League for Chelsea after a surprise move from Manchester City early into the season for £40 million on deadline day. Ever since then he seems to be bailing Chelsea out of the mud with goals from the penalty spot but also crucial goals such as the one last night in the 100th minute of play.

His goal leaves a mark in Premier League history as the latest ever winning goal for the Premier League era where he, once again, saved his team single handedly.

He has also become the highest goal contributer in the world for under 24 in all competitions, surpassing Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz who are both having outstanding seasons for Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. This just shows his immense talent and impact he has had on this Chelsea side after nearly missing out on a move earlier this year.

He is now up to 16 goals in the Premier League second to only Erling Haaland on 18 goals. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Cole Palmer could take the crown from his former teammate with Chelsea’s run in of games compared to the pressure that City are feeling in the title race.

Despite the success of Cole Palmer and how well he played, there have to be eyes on the performance of the Manchester United squad with the winner of the game from Palmer, easily avoidable if they don’t switch off because it is the final minutes.

There have been questions for months now on the validity of Ten Hag and whether or not his play-style can bring United into winning positions, and the game seemed like it relied on personal excellence from Garnacho and less tactics from Ten Hag with the team in the final moments giving out different calls and shouts which ultimately led to the downfall of the Red Devils.

This win for Chelsea sends them into 10th with Manchester United still comfortably above them in 6th despite dropping the 3 points that could prove to be brutal in the run in to the end of the season.

Phenomenal Phil Scores Hat-trick Against Struggling Villa

An incredible performance from ‘the Stockport Iniesta’ gives Manchester City the hope of keeping their title race alive in 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. Foden registers his second hat-trick of the season after his hat-trick against Brentford earlier this year.

Pep Guardiola sent out a team that was considerably weaker than usual with Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and John Stones allowed to rest on the bench, assuming that they will be very important for the tie against Real Madrid on the 9th of April.

After his performance last night, Phil Foden has starting receiving praise once again for his talents shining whilst the superstars De Bruyne and Haaland were resting on the bench. He stepped up for the side and provided three crucial goals that set the game apart after being tied 1-1 after 20 minutes with the game looking very cagey.

In the post match interview, Pep Guardiola had nothing but praise for the youngster with his exhilarating performance in this crucial game;

“He’s still open-minded and he still has to understand some parts of the game, especially attention as he is sometimes distracted in the defensive parts. But his work ethic is unbelievable. He is so special, especially when he is playing in that central position.” – He told BBC Sport.

Fodens number 10 performances this season have grabbed him two hattricks and 10 assists across all competitions giving Gareth Southgate a very simple decision to make for the Euro’s. Start Foden in the 10 role for his country and good things will follow.

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His teammates that are known for the goals and assists were celebrating with him from the bench after his smart free-kick which sent the Aston Villa keeper, Olsen, stuck in the mud with no chance of reacting to the quick free-kick.

With the win secured and Foden up to 31 G/A across all competitions this season, Manchester City look towards the weekend where they play Crystal Palace where, once again, they cant afford to slip up if they want to win the Premier League where they are leaving hope in the hands of their neighbours, Manchester United.

How City Should Line Up Against Aston Villa Tonight

Today’s game against Aston Villa is crucial for Pep Guardiola and his team staying in the title race. After the 0-0 draw against Arsenal on the weekend, City trail the top spot by 3 points, they cannot afford to drop any points in their upcoming games.

After their shocking performance in the reverse fixture earlier in the season where the treble winners only registered 2 shots in the 90 minutes, their availability in players has changed with Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne are officially available for picking which they weren’t earlier in the season.

The positive for Manchester City is that the game is set at the Etihad Stadium with Rodri returning to the lineup which only sets up for success after 39 games unbeaten at the Etihad and now 63 matches unbeaten for Rodri.

With certain injuries still causing harm to the full XI, it is expected that City will lineup with a weaker side than what they would hope for in the run in to the end of the season.

Lineup Prediction

With the injuries to Kyle Walker and John Stones, it is expected that Rico Lewis will slot into the right back position where he plays the inverted right back role perfectly for the team allowing the defenders to just focus on defending.

The pace of Jeremy Doku and the close control dribbling of Jack Grealish will not be as effective as usual against this set defence of Villa since the introduction of Pau Torres and Eric Konsa in their back line this season.

Injuries

Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and John Stones were marked out of the Arsenal tie due to injury, with Ake’s injury coming during the game between the title contenders possibly leaving him out of contention for selection as the tie between City and Real Madrid is coming up soon which is very crucial to their chances of a double treble.

The loss of Kyle Walker could cause problems for City as the main striking force in Villa’s attack is their burning pace between Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey. With Ollie Watkins picking up an injury in their 2-0 victory over Wolves, their scoring prowess has taken a hit and can give Manchester City some hope pre-game.

The game is set to play at 20:15 this evening streamed on Sky Sports from the Etihad Stadium. The game is crucial for Manchester City as a MUST-WIN game.

Late Drama at Brentford Leads to Dramatic 1-1 Draw For Manchester United

Manchester United stray further away from their European football spot in a dramatic 1-1 draw against an out of form Brentford who are looking to break their 7 game streak without a win including shocking losses to Burnley, West Ham and staggering losses to Arsenal and Liverpool.

Battling out for a place in the Europa League, Ten Hag’s Manchester United put up a miserable performance with the only action coming after the regulated 90 minutes with both goals coming in the 96th and 99th minute of the game.

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United’s poor performance left the wrong impression on the new club owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. According to a report from The Telegraph, Ratcliffe, who recently took over a minority stake in the club, was left unimpressed with their performance against Brentford over the weekend.

The report claims that he was not happy with their defeat to Fulham in February and thoroughly unimpressed with what he saw against Brentford.

It seemed as Mason Mount had just grabbed United the victory in the 96th minute however, Brentford had other plans completely running over United’s defence which seemed to lack concentration after the goal went in with fans in the stadium left in despair after joys and cheers for the ‘fergie time’ esc goal in added time.

If Manchester United want to have some strength and hope to reach the top once again, Erik Ten Hag needs to be looked at with his players letting the foot off the gas in the most crucial moments it seems. With the history of the huge club, fans of the Red Devils were hoping Ten Hag could bring them their once glory back to them however, it seems fans are turning on him and even the new majority owner of the club is agreeing with the quota that is going on across the Premier League at the moment.

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Their next game is against Chelsea FC who have had a similarly poor season for the standards of the club. With United having a better season than the blues, can Ten Hag gain redemption for his mistakes or will Pochettino be able to get one over the dutch mans side?

Manchester United Football Club is no longer a team battling for the title, they are fighting a losing battle for a spot in the Europa League. Changes need to be made.