Premier League
PEP GUARDIOLA DEMYSTIFIED AS LEICESTER INFLICT 5-2 DEFEAT ON MANCHESTER CITY
Only three hat-tricks have ever been scored against teams managed by Pep Guardiola – and Jamie Vardy now has two of them.
Lionel Messi scored the other and, had the summer and the season panned out differently, this match would have been his home debut for Manchester City, before a besotted and raucous full house.
Instead, an echoing Etihad played host to a club legend of a wholly different variety – Vardy, whose career trajectory could not be more different to one lived in the shadow of Nou Camp.
What a player he is, though – and what a knotty problem for Manchester City, always running, always twisting, always turning, fast and quick-witted and seemingly impossible to contain. Vardy inspired a Leicester performance that made history, for his club, for Manchester City and, personally, for Guardiola.
In 685 matches as a manager, his teams have never conceded five goals. That changed in this, his 686th. It was also the first time City had conceded five at the Etihad Stadium – the last time they let that amount in being a match at Maine Road against Arsenal on February 22, 2003.
As for Leicester, going top of the table, they became the first team to score three penalties in a game since the Premier League began – and even more amazingly, not one was given for handball.
None were greatly controversial, either. Vardy, who won, and converted, the first two, goes to ground without need for a blunt instrument, but City’s defemders seem to have made getting the wrong side of the attacker not so much a fault as a club policy,
so calamity must be expected. Worryingly, three distinct individuals were at fault: Kyle Walker for the first, Eric Garcia – perhaps the unluckiest – for the second and Benjamin Mendy for the third. Nathan Ake’s acquisition was supposed to make the difference to City’s defence, but he looks a long way from having the influence of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool. Van Dijk had better around him. Plus, he solved a problem. City’s are ongoing.
Credit to Leicester, though, who arrived with a gameplan and stuck to it, even when Riyad Mahrez’s goal inside four minutes appeared to change the menu.
A lesser team, maybe a lesser coach, might have panicked at that point. To his credit, Brendan Rodgers remained calm and kept to his strategy. He has a gameplan against Manchester City, and it has served him well to here, albeit in a limited fashion. Coming into this game, he had never taken a point off City as Leicester manager, but he had been close.
It took a wonder goal from Vincent Kompany to win here in 2019, Leicester took the lead before losing the following season, and only a goal from Gabriel Jesus on 80 minutes separated them the third time Rodgers’ Leicester and Guardiola met last December.
The plan? Rodgers lets City’s defence have the ball. Instead of pressing them, his players retreat. He believes Ederson is a better passer than the four men directly in front of him so, put the squeeze on, and City go backwards, Ederson clips a lovely pass into midfield and City have the better numbers to counter attack.
Drop deep and that same area is congested, making it harder for City whose defenders are also likely to be less accurate in their passing.
And that was how Leicester set up, even when goal down. They restricted City to just two goalscoring chances in the first-half, one of which was the wonderful shot from Riyad Mahrez that gave Guardiola’s men the lead.
It came from the first attack of the match, a corner swung in and cleared by James Justin, straight to the feet of the lurking Mahrez.
He returned it with venom, a shot that flew into the top left corner, taken with his right, and supposedly weaker, foot.
A Kevin De Bruyne free-kick which Fernandinho headed directly at Kasper Schmeichel was City’s only other opportunity before half-time and while Leicester were not exactly overburdened with opportunity they got the one break necessary to equalise – if Vardy is in your team.
It came in the 36th minute when Harvey Barnes broke through, and fed Vardy, who got goal side of Walker. The City man clumsily tried to correct his error and that was enough.
Once Michael Oliver had signalled the penalty, Vardy finished the job himself, powerful and into the top left corner. He scored two penalties on the opening weekend against West Brom, too.
From there, a City onslaught was expected, a second 45 minutes of attack versus defence, Leicester crowding behind the ball, eyes on a point, City pressuring them, even without a recognised striker.
Instead: the opposite. The arrival of teenage centre-forward Liam Delap after 51 minutes was a sign Guardiola was not happy with the threat his team posed – and the young man did hit the bar with a header – but more troubling was the inability to spot Leicester’s clever movement and nullify it.
Removing Fernandinho for Delap may have changed the game to Leicester’s advantage and, once he went, City were simply not alive to Leicester’s threat, not alive to Vardy’s danger – which is mystifying given the trouble he has caused them previously. And, unlike Wolves last week, Leicester took their chances.
That is hardly a surprise, either, given their history.
After 53 minutes, Yiouri Tielemans – a contender for man of the match, despite Vardy’s heroics – played a sweet ball through to Timothy Castagne on the right.
It split Mendy and Ake, neither of whom seemed greatly switched on, and by then it was too late. Castagne crossed and Vardy nipped in at the near post to flick the ball past Ederson for his second.
Just four minutes later, Leicester had a third. First, the excellent Harvey Barnes had a shot saved, but there was better luck next time.
He fed Vardy, who went looking for a foul from Garcia, and the defender obligingly delivered it. Vardy does fall easily, but City’s contribution in inescapable. For his hat-trick, Vardy put the ball low to the right.
Game over? It most certainly was in the 77th minute, when substitute Maddison cut in from the left and, buoyed by the absence of any challenge or attempt to close him down, picked out the far, top corner with a beautifully struck shot.
Ake pulled one back from a corner, his header his first goal for the club, but even that margin did not stand for long.
From Leicester’s next attack, Mendy tugged Maddison back for Leicester’s third penalty of the game. It was taken by Tielemans, with Vardy already off, although the execution meant there was no drop in standard.
And while it can be argued City are missing players, and were forced to play Raheem Sterling as the spearhead of the front-line, an absence of forwards is not the reason a team leaks five goals.
The scoreline was unusual, but the sense of trepidation is becoming all too familiar. It was there at Molineux, too.
So while this was a shock, the reality is little has changed year on year. Defensively, City look a long way from being title contenders. Eighteen points? Maybe.
-Daily Mail
Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, trimming the gap at the top of the table to two points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Goals from Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and Savinho ensured Pep Guardiola’s side did all they could on a night when City played with authority and control to lift them onto 77 points, while Arsenal have 79, with two games remaining for each.
While City still need Arsenal to squander points in one of their remaining matches, Guardiola’s men showed no sign of resignation, and Semenyo put them ahead in the 32nd minute when Phil Foden’s crafty back-heel set him up to slot a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Marmoush doubled City’s lead in the 40th minute, when Foden’s touch on a cross landed at the Egyptian’s feet, and he shot on the turn back into the far corner. It marked the first time the seldom-used Foden has provided multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League game in his career.
Savinho added a third in the 84th minute when he latched onto a through ball from Rayan Cherki and finished with a left-footed shot from the edge of the six-yard box.
Had City lost or drawn against Palace on Wednesday, Arsenal would have clinched their first league title in 22 years with a victory over already-relegated Burnley on Monday.
‘MASSIVE GAME’
“It’s a massive game, must-win, so we are really happy,” Foden said.
“The aim is to keep pushing and keep (Arsenal) on their toes,” he added. “We’ve seen a lot of things that can happen on the final day. I’ve experienced it many times when the game doesn’t go your way. We just have to keep pushing and doing our part.”
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, Guardiola made six changes to his team, including resting his league-leading scorer, Erling Haaland, for the night.
But if his selections initially raised eyebrows, City cruised through much of the match, playing with such ease that the contest felt effectively decided well before the final whistle.
City had 72% possession and 15 shots to Palace’s six.
Josko Gvardiol, back in the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a tibial fracture in early January, thought he had given City a three-goal cushion late in the first half, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made a brilliant save, stretching to swat Gvardiol’s header out of danger.
City’s victory continued an unbeaten league run that stretches back to mid-January and that has breathed life into a title race that for much of the season felt like Arsenal had it in the bag.
“Today City were much better than we were, they were too good for us,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose side are 15th on 44 points, said. “If you want to get the point, or even more, here at Etihad, you need a top performance, and we couldn’t deliver a top performance today.”
City visit Bournemouth on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in the league season finale on May 24. If Arsenal beat Burnley on Monday, City must beat Europe-chasing Bournemouth, who are on a 16-game unbeaten run, the following day.
-Reuters
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Arsenal edged a step closer to the Premier League title with Leandro Trossard’s late goal and a slice of fortune in stoppage time, securing a precious 1-0 victory at relegation-threatened West Ham United to put them five points clear on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side looked like dropping points to keep the door ajar for chasing Manchester City, but Trossard’s 83rd-minute goal means that victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace will guarantee their first English crown since 2004.
An off-key Arsenal were living on their nerves and survived a huge scare in stoppage time as West Ham’s Callum Wilson fired home in a goalmouth scramble, but his effort was ruled out for a foul on Arsenal keeper David Raya after a lengthy VAR check.
It completed a stunning week for Arsenal, who reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006 by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Victory left them on 79 points from 36 games with City, who have a game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, on 74 from 35. West Ham stay third from bottom on 36 points from 36 games and will be desperately hoping that Leeds United can take points off 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
“It has been a hell of a week, a rollercoaster of a week, with everything we have had to play for and all of the emotions in those games,” Arteta said.
West Ham’s bitter defeat means Leeds and Nottingham Forest are safe from relegation. Forest drew 1-1 at home against Newcastle United with a late equaliser by Elliot Anderson, taking them to 43 points.
Aston Villa suffered a European hangover in a 2-2 draw with already-relegated Burnley that stalled their hopes of sealing a place in the Champions League.
Three days after reaching the Europa League final, Villa found themselves trailing to an early goal by Jaidon Anthony, but Ross Barkley levelled before halftime, and Ollie Watkins fired Villa ahead after the break.
Burnley’s Zian Flemming equalised, though, to leave Villa in fifth place with 59 points, behind Liverpool on goal difference. Villa play Liverpool next week.
RELIEF FOR ARSENAL
Rarely has a capital derby had more riding on it than the clash between West Ham and Arsenal at the London Stadium.
Both sides were desperate for a victory for contrasting reasons, and Arsenal were breathing a huge sigh of relief after a dramatic conclusion to the contest.
With Manchester City beating Brentford 3-0 on Saturday to close the gap to two points, the pressure was on Arsenal in what always looked like a treacherous fixture.
Apart from a dominant opening 25 minutes, they struggled against a battling West Ham side and needed two great saves from Raya to keep the hosts at bay.
When Trossard fired home after being picked out by Martin Odegaard in the 83rd minute, it sparked delirium behind the goal where the Arsenal fans were massed.
But deep in stoppage time, Wilson drove a shot through a forest of legs to seemingly earn West Ham a priceless point in their battle to extend their 14-season stay in the top flight.
Silence descended around the stadium as VAR checked for a foul on Raya by West Ham’s Pablo, and there was a stomach-churning wait as referee Chris Kavanagh watched replay after replay on the monitor before deciding to disallow the goal.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described it as the “biggest VAR call in the history of the Premier League,” and it certainly had huge ramifications at the top and bottom of the table.
“It was a massive call, but it was clearly the right call,” a relieved Arteta said. “Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee’s job is.”
Everton’s dreams of qualifying for Europe suffered a setback as substitute Jean‑Philippe Mateta rescued Crystal Palace with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
Palace, fresh from booking their place in the Conference League final on Thursday, twice came from behind.
James Tarkowski put Everton ahead early before Ismaila Sarr levelled in the 34th minute. Beto restored Everton’s lead with a brilliant solo effort, but Mateta struck in the 76th minute.
Everton are 10th on 49 points, six points back of a top-six finish and a place in Europe. Palace are 14th on 44 points.
At The City Ground, Anderson struck an 88th-minute equaliser against his former club as Forest earned a vital draw with Newcastle, a result that means they are safe.
Harvey Barnes had put Newcastle ahead.
-Reuters
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Manchester City kept the Premier League title race bubbling with a 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals by Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush as they cut the gap with leaders Arsenal to two points with three games left.
City have 74 points from 35 games, but their draw at Everton on Monday means they need Arsenal — who visit relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday — to squander points in one of their remaining games to have a chance at the title.
“If you play for Manchester City, you think of titles every single day,” Haaland said of his team’s title hopes.
City dominated much of the game at The Etihad, but Brentford held strong before Doku, City’s best player on the night, produced a moment of brilliance on the hour, cutting inside from the left and curling a right-foot shot into the top corner.
Haaland gave City a two-goal cushion when he bundled the ball into the net after 75 minutes.
In what was far from the prettiest of goals, Antoine Semenyo cut the ball back for Haaland, whose shot was blocked. The big Norwegian was, though, able to back-heel the ball into the net past Caoimhin Kelleher for his 26th league goal of the season.
Marmoush struck deep in injury time when he latched onto a pass from Haaland, took a touch and then struck the ball across the keeper and into the far corner to wrap up the win.
City remain unbeaten in the league since January in a relentless run that has turned the final weeks of the season into a breathless title chase.
“We’ll see. (The title race) is not in our hands,” Guardiola said. “We will do our job. We didn’t do perfectly at Everton. It was tough. On Wednesday, we host Crystal Palace, another team set to play a European final. We just do our job and wait.”
Palace face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final later this month before City’s title rivals Arsenal take on Paris St Germain in the Champions League final.
BRENTFORD’S EUROPEAN HOPES DENTED
Brentford’s loss was a blow to their hopes of a place in Europe next term. They sit eighth, four points off the top six.
“We were playing against a team fighting for the title. You could see that from their urgency,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews said. “I liked a lot of what we did today. I liked the bravery and courage of our approach.”
City had 25 shots to Brentford’s four and 10 shots on target to the visitors’ two.
Phil Foden had a couple of City’s best chances, including one that forced a magnificent save from Kelleher, who managed to just flick his shot over the bar.
Brentford appealed twice for red cards to no avail.
Tempers flared in the first half when City captain Bernardo Silva and Nathan Collins battled for the ball, and Silva punched Collins in the back of the leg as he fell.
Then Kevin Schade went down in the box late on under pressure from Matheus Nunes, but after a VAR check, it was decided there was not enough contact for a penalty.
“I will be the first to tell what a difficult job they have to do on a day-to-day basis,” Andrews said.
“It’s difficult with all the contentious issues and at times the playacting. I thought the Kevin Schade incident was a penalty. So that was really disappointing.”
-Reuters
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