Premier League
EPL: WILL LIVERPOOL TOPPLE CITY AT FINISH POINT?
BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE
Finally, the last day of the frenetic English Premier League 2018/19 season is here!
And for the eighth time in the EPL history, the title will be decided on the last day. On the seven previous occasions, the team on top of the table going into the last Matchday won the league. Manchester City have a point advantage over Liverpool.
Liverpool themselves were the last team to blow an advantage on the last day of the league in the old English Football First Division era when Arsenal won 2-0 at Anfield to lift the title in 1989.
This has been an extraordinary season for Liverpool during which they reach the UEFA Champions League final for the second time in a row, and in contention for the EPL title.
With the least number of defeats – only one to Manchester City – in the nine-month-long campaign and the third highest points tally in EPL history, the Reds of Anfield would not have needed to fight from a point behind City but for a series of draw games at a point in the term.
The race has been fierce between both sides, City winning their last 13 domestic league fixtures and Liverpool successful in eight of their last games. They have both not lost in the league since January.
Disappointed by their ousting by Tottenham in the Champions League quarter-finals, Pep Guardiola’s squad have their fate in their hands to win the next most important trophy. They know that lifting the League Cup – and another crown through the FA Cup – will not be enough to please their fans at the end of the season.
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool also have all to play for. It will be so disappointing if such an impressive side end the season without a trophy, although they are 90 minutes away from Champions League glory and can still topple City at the finish line.
Liverpool have not won the EPL in its present format which started in 1992. They were last champions of England 29 years ago winning the then English Football League First Division beating Aston Villa to lift their 18th domestic league title.
The Reds came closest five seasons ago in the Luis Suárez era pushing Manchester City to the wire but finishing two points behind the Citizens. Then, Liverpool had led the league two weeks to the end but a loss and a draw in their last three matches, plus City claiming their final five matches gave the Manchester club a two-point advantage in the end.
Manchester City will remember the 2011/12 season, the last time the title was decided on the last day. By the final game on May 13, 2012, City and Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson were deadlocked on 86 points with the former having goal difference advantage – plus 63 against plus 55.
Roberto Mancini’s City played host to Queens Park Rangers, while United were away to Sunderland. Twenty minutes into the game at the Stadium of Light, Wayne Rooney had shot United ahead and on top of the league table. Twenty-nine minutes later, Pablo Zabaleta scored to get City back on the tabletop, only for Djibril Cisse to stun City nine minutes later and level scores, while United maintained their lead over Sunderland.
Despite going one man down with Joey Barton earning a red card, QPR shot ahead of City through Jamie Mackie in the 66th minutes. United fans went wild as their side maintained their one-nil result at Sunderland and were therefore three points clear of City going into the last 24 minutes of regulation time.
It was not until added time that City turned things around, first with Edin Dzeko levelling up in two minutes of added time. United’s match at the Stadium of Light ended ahead of City’s but their players and fans had to concentrate on the drama at the Etihad Stadium.
Sergio Leonel Agüero then pulled the trigger in five minutes of added time with perhaps the last kick of the match to deliver City’s first EPL as the club last won the then English Football League First Division in 1968.
For the other teams, the battle for Champions League places is virtually over. Whatever happens at the King Power Stadium against Leicester City, Chelsea are already in the top four, and even have the opportunity of returning to the elite European club competition through the Europa if they beat Arsenal in the final on May 29 in Baku.
It looks straightforward for Spurs as well ending up among the top four. But it’s not all over as their three points and plus eight goal advantage over fifth placed Arsenal can still be cancelled this last day. Should that seemingly impossible happen, Tottenham will only feature in the Champions League next season if they win it on June 1 in Madrid (versus Liverpool).
For Arsenal, a fifth placed finish is not even guaranteed as Manchester City are only a point behind. Only victory over Chelsea in Baku will return the Gunners to the Champions League since the 2016/17 season.
If they end up in fifth and fail to win the Europa Cup, Arsenal will feature in Europa League at the group stage only if Manchester City win the FA Cup, otherwise it will be Watford (City’s FA Cup final opponents) who will be in the group stage and Arsenal drop to the second qualifying round, which will be their starting point should they come sixth and not win Europa Cup.
United are guaranteed Europa League Football next season – either in the group stage (if they topple Arsenal at No 5 and City win the FA Cup) – or the second qualifying phase if they end up sixth or fifth plus Watford lifting the FA Cup.
Watford will only feature in the Europa League if they beat Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The seventh place in the EPL, which goes to Wolves, is also significant. If City claim the FA Cup, the Hornets will start from the second round qualifying round but will be elevated to the group stage should honours go to Wolves with the sixth placed team dropping to the second round qualifiers.
This is one of the rare season closing day that there will be no relegation battle. Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Cardiff City are all playing their last EPL fixtures having already been relegated.
The fixtures…
- Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City
- Burnley v Arsenal
- Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth
- Fulham v Newcastle United
- Leicester City v Chelsea
- Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester United v Cardiff City
- Southampton v Huddersfield Town
- Tottenham v Everton
- Watford v West Ham United (all 3pm)
Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to remain top of the Premier League as Arsenal and Manchester City came from behind to win on Saturday.
City were 3-2 victors over Fulham to stay one point behind Liverpool, alongside Arsenal who saw off Southampton 3-1.
Arne Slot has now won nine of his first 10 games since succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, but was frustrated that the visitors invited a late onslaught from the winless Eagles.
Jota prodded the Reds into the lead from Cody Gakpo’s cross on nine minutes.
The Portuguese international was then guilty of missing two big chances to extend Liverpool’s advantage.
Palace failed to make them pay, but victory came at a cost for Slot as goalkeeper Alisson Becker limped off with a hamstring injury.
“If you score the second you break them mentally,” said Slot. “All the fans kept believing in a result because it was only 1-0, even though in my opinion we were the dominant team.”
Fresh from a dominant win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal were expected to sweep aside winless Southampton.
But the Saints shocked the Emirates 10 minutes into the second half when Cameron Archer fired in his first Premier League goal since a summer move from Aston Villa.
The lead only lasted three minutes before Kai Havertz scored for the seventh consecutive home game.
Gabriel Martinelli was introduced after an hour and took just eight minutes to make his mark with a finish on the volley from Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Having set up Arsenal’s first two goals, Saka pounced on a loose ball to score the third himself.
Fulham’s outrageous opener
Rodri’s season-long absence due to a serious knee injury is expected to be a major blow to City’s chances of retaining the title for a fifth consecutive season.
But it was the Spaniard’s deputy Mateo Kovacic who scored twice to turn the game around for the champions at the Etihad.
The visitors had not lost since the opening night of the season at Manchester United and led thanks to Andreas Pereira’s finish from an outrageous backheel assist by Raul Jimenez.
Kovacic’s deflected effort quickly brought City level before a cleaner strike less than two minutes into the second half made it 2-1.
Jeremy Doku then smashed into the top corner from outside the box to give City a two-goal cushion, which they needed.
Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham hope on 88 minutes, but City held out for a 17th consecutive win against the Cottagers.
West Ham eased the pressure on new boss Julen Lopetegui by ending a run of three home defeats to start the new season.
Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta struck for the Hammers in a 4-1 win over Ipswich, who are still waiting for their first Premier League win 22 years.
There were six goals before half-time as Brentford beat Wolves 5-3 to leave the visitors still rooted to the foot of the table.
Leicester secured their first league win of the season as Facundo Buonanotte’s strike beat Bournemouth 1-0.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces a huge match if he is to remain in charge when the Red Devils visit Aston Villa in the pick of Sunday’s action.
-AFP
Premier League
Premier League rejects City request to delay next season’s games after Club World Cup
The Premier League has rejected Manchester City’s request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the U.S., the club’s manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League’s season will begin in August.
An increasingly packed soccer calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players’ union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.
The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.
“I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)… maybe we’ll play less games,” Guardiola told reporters.
“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don’t postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?”
He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.
-Reuters
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said a decision about under-fire manager Erik ten Hag is not his call, and was reticent about whether he still has faith in the team’s boss amid their worst start to the Premier League season since 1986-87.
“I don’t want to answer that question,” Ratcliffe told the BBC. “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.
“That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April — Omar (Berrada, CEO), (Sporting Director) Dan Ashworth — they only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there . . . you can count it in weeks almost — they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.”
Ten Hag’s job was the subject of speculation for much of last season en route to the team’s lowest Premier League finish of eighth. After an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and an end-of-season review, however, Ten Hag signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026.
“Our objective is very clear, we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously, that’s very clear,” Ratcliffe said.
Ten Hag continues to plead for patience from fans with the team languishing 13th in the Premier League table, having lost three of their six opening games. They were headed towards defeat by Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before Harry Maguire scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a 3-3 draw.
-Reuters
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