LIVERPOOL (REUTERS) - Champions Manchester City went top of the Premier League with a disciplined 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday (Feb 6) that saw them leapfrog title rivals Liverpool on goal difference.
Aymeric Laporte headed the opener just before the interval and substitute Gabriel Jesus sealed the victory deep in stoppage time for City, who returned to the league's summit for the first time since Dec 8.
Both City and Liverpool have 62 points, but Pep Guardiola's side have played one game more than the Merseysiders, who have drawn their last two encounters and host Bournemouth on Saturday.
With Tottenham Hotspur on 57 points, the title race has turned into a genuine three-way tussle and while City rarely sparkled against Everton, it was a key win in a busy week in which they had already beaten Arsenal and host Chelsea on Sunday.
"Four or five days ago, we could have been seven points behind, it is a lesson to never give up," said Guardiola.
"Now we have an incredible test on Sunday against Chelsea. I don't know how far we will get, maybe we will die in the road, but we are trying.
"We have played one more game than Liverpool, it's good to be top but Liverpool (still) has a game at Old Trafford," he added, referring to Liverpool's match at Manchester United on Feb 24.
The game against Everton was a re-arranged fixture caused by City's advance to the League Cup final and highlighted the difficulties to come for a side still involved in four competitions as there were some signs of weariness in their display.
Everton manager Marco Silva left two of his main creative players, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, on the bench and opted for three central midfielders - a tactic that worked well as his side closed down City and limited their control of possession.
Yet after all that good work, it was Everton's sloppiness at set-pieces which cost them yet again.
David Silva curled in a free kick from the left and Laporte was somehow left unattended to head home from close range.
The goal was the 17th conceded by Everton from a set-piece in all competitions this season - prompting further questions about Silva's insistence on zonal marking.
After the break, ninth-placed Everton, who had been well beaten at home by Wolves on Saturday, stuck at their task well, but for all their graft, they rarely threatened City's lead.
The home side did get a sniff of an opening when Kyle Walker, deep in his own half, gave the ball away to substitute Richarlison, but the Brazilian's pass towards Cenk Tosun was over-hit and the danger passed.
It was a sign of City's strength in depth that their substitutes combined for the second goal deep in stoppage time with Kevin De Bruyne playing Jesus in on goal.
Although the Brazilian's shot was blocked by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, he reacted quickly to head home the loose ball.
"Everyone (helped) win the game," said Jesus. "We know that it is going to be difficult. We want to play well in every game and at the end of the season we want the title," he said.
(REUTERS)- Chris Wood scored twice as Burnley virtually assured Premier League safety with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday (April 13) which left the Welsh club deep in
Chris Wood double gives Burnley win over Cardiff in
Qatar boss Felix Sanchez says his side must operate on a game-by-game basis after a 6-0 win over North Korea secured progression to the AFC Asian Cup last 16. Almoez Ali scored four as Qatar put in a rampant display on Sunday to move top of Group E, and will now take on Saudi Arabia to decide who claims pole position.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi became the first man to score 400 La Liga goals as Barcelona eased to a 3-0 win at home to Eibar on Sunday which kept the Catalans five points clear at the top
'Stratospheric' Messi scores 400th La Liga goal in Barca win
Pochettino's side made a dismal start as Donny van de Beek put Ajax ahead after just 15 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday. Pochettino takes blame but slams 'sloppy
Football: Pochettino takes blame but slams 'sloppy' Spurs
Atletico Madrid took a huge advantage in their heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus, earning a 2-0 home win thanks to late goals from Uruguayan defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin in a tense, incident-packed game on Wednesday.
La Liga Review: Wins for top three | Sporting News Australia
May 18, 2019 · Justification in the air amid Man City's historic treble. questions will remain about Manchester City's incredible domestic treble. South Africa has not won this year. Game schedule
Key Premier League changes in 2019/20 will affect Manchester
You know, I think Barca will be fine. 29 April 2013. By Nicol Hay. Football fans have a curious love for certainties - knowing that this player was definitely better than that one, that one club is clearly bigger than the other - that seems to be a product of the untidy nature of the game itself.
AC Milan Online v4.0 | The Archive
The post Man City end Liverpool's unbeaten run, cut lead to four appeared first on The Himalayan Times. Share Next story David Warner speaks publicly for the first time in months, but doesn't say much
Man City end Liverpool's unbeaten run, cut lead to four
Pep Guardiola is confident his achievements at Manchester City will not be tarnished by UEFA's investigation into alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches and trusted the club to resolve the
Guardiola trusts Man City to resolve FFP allegations | The
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in Football; Friday, 19 Apr 2019 as securing a Premier League top-four finish last year and it could come in handy as they
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season
The Singapore Slingers will be one of six teams who will contest the 2016 Merlion Cup from the 21st - 25th September 2016 at the OCBC Arena in Singapore. The Merlion Cup basketball tournament is making it's return after a 20 year hiatus, run by the Basketball Association of Singapore this will be the 10th edition of the Merlion Cup.
Merlion Cup 2019 Tickets | Official Ticketek tickets, tour
Qatar's Abdulaziz Hatem scored with a stunning late strike as the 2022 World Cup hosts upset Son Heung-min's South Korea 1-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup for the first time on Friday.
Hatem wonder strike secures Qatar upset of South Korea - The
There is growing confidence at Chelsea that Callum Hudson-Odoi will sign a new contract over the summer, reports claim. The 18-year-old looked set to join Bayern Munich in January after submitting
Reports: Chelsea teen Hudson-Odoi appears close to Bayern
0 comments:
Post a Comment