LONDON (REUTERS) - Manchester City stumbled to the most sensational defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday (Dec 22) before neighbours Manchester United began their brave new world under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a glorious reminder of long-forgotten attacking swagger.
After City’s sensational 3-2 reverse against Crystal Palace at their Etihad fortress, United seemed liberated and re-energised after Jose Mourinho’s midweek sacking as they romped to a 5-1 win at Cardiff City – the first time they have hit five in the league since their golden Alex Ferguson era.
A remarkable 30-metre thunderbolt from Andros Townsend adorned Palace’s remarkable comeback from a goal down in the rain as Pep Guardiola’s champions City saw their 100 percent league home record this season shattered.
So, what recently looked like an imperious title defence now looks problematic as City lie four points behind leaders Liverpool, who had thrown down the gauntlet with a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.
There was more good news for the Reds as fourth-placed Chelsea also squandered their unbeaten home record with a 1-0 defeat by Leicester City.
Arsenal kept up their pursuit in fifth, thanks to a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a 3-1 home win over Burnley that put the Gabonese striker top of the league’s goalscoring charts.
After 18 matches, Liverpool are now the only unbeaten side left in England’s top four divisions on 48 points, with City on 44 and Tottenham Hotspur, who visit Everton on Sunday, third on 39. Chelsea and Arsenal both have 37, while United are on 29.
Â
Â
Â
Â
On a remarkable, rain-sodden afternoon at the Etihad, Manchester City, who had lost their season’s unbeaten record at Chelsea two weeks ago, seemed predictably dominant when striding into a first-half lead through Ilkay Gundogan.
But Palace responded quickly with a Jeffrey Schlupp strike and three minutes later a wondrous volley from 30 metres from the mercurial England international Townsend, which will be a contender for goal of the season.
Luka Milivojevic put the visitors further clear with a penalty after the break before Palace survived a late onslaught that saw Kevin De Bruyne score five minutes from time.
“It’s complicated but we fight until the last second. We are in December and we will try and recover and try and win games again,†shrugged Guardiola, conceding that his side needed to “recover mentally and recover physicalityâ€.
UNITED REBORN
In stark contrast, after a traumatic week which saw the end of Mourinho’s two-and-a-half-year reign, Manchester United seemed mentally and physically re-born, playing with verve, pace and attacking intent that reflected the smile of their still fresh-faced caretaker boss and old club hero, Solskjaer.
He was beaming after three minutes when Marcus Rashford’s free kick put United ahead and further goals before halftime from Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial – after a dazzling passing interchange – and a second-half double from Jesse Lingard made it a perfect start for the Norwegian.
United, with Paul Pogba back in the fold, poured forward in a free-spirited manner rarely seen under Mourinho and Lingard’s last-minute goal ensured they netted five in a league match for the first time since Ferguson’s final match in charge in 2013.
Chelsea’s loss at Stamford Bridge seemed almost as unlikely as Manchester City’s with Leicester facing the prospect of a third straight defeat but Jamie Vardy’s first-time finish soon after the break brought much-needed relief for the Foxes’ manager Claude Puel.
At the Emirates Stadium, the predatory Aubameyang took his season-leading tally of league goals to 12 with his double in the win over Burnley, one more than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Fulham earned a goalless draw at Newcastle United but remained bottom of the table on 10 points alongside Huddersfield Town, who were beaten 3-1 by a Southampton side that look rejuvenated under new Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.
Watford moved into seventh place with a 2-0 win at West Ham United, thanks to goals from Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu.
Manchester City will face Brighton in the semi-finals of this year's FA Cup as Pep Guardiola's quest for the quadruple marches on. The other semi-final will see Watford take on Wolves.
Manchester City to face Brighton in FA Cup semi-final
Norwich are three factors forward of second-placed Sheffield United, who beat already relegated Ipswich 2-0, and had been additionally promoted yesterday after Leeds' 1-1 draw with Villa. Marcelo Bielsa's crew now head for the play-offs, with the winners securing the ultimate promotion place. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Norwich promoted to EPL after 3-year absence
German champions Bayern Munich have not yet made an offer for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane despite their long-standing desire to sign him, club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday.
Bayern have not yet tabled bid for Man City's Sane
Buffon: PSG and Man Utd are equal as Champions League tie approaches the attitude and the spirit of sacrifice for the team," he told reporters. Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian
Gigi Buffon identifies two problems PSG have ahead of
Real Madrid's harrowing season came to a fittingly miserable end on Sunday as they slumped to a staggering 12th La Liga defeat, losing 2-0 at home to Real Betis as many fans left the stadium early
Champions League: Real Madrid's European reign ends with
His street cred in CM development stems largely from his long-time use of both Puppet and Chef. He felt dissatisfied with both, particularly their slowness and over-reliance on Ruby. So he started work SaltStack, choosing the more widely used and arguably easier to use Python as Salt's working language, as opposed to Puppet's Ruby.
Language: Conditional statements and expressions - Puppet (PE
Japan may have suffered disappointment in the Asian Cup final after being shocked by Qatar, but their team won plenty of plaudits for thoughtfully leaving their dressing room "spotless" after the
AFC Asian Cup 2019: 5 talking points as impressive Qatar
Do you tune into top-tier professional golf for exactly one Sunday a year? Have you been brain-poisoned by having Big Cat content injected directly into your skull for weeks on end and can no
The Best Sports Bar in Every NFL City - Thrillist
Football: Philippe Aw, Fadzuhasny Juraimi, to lead U-15 and U
Even that drab Slovenia match foreshadowed the revival stirring beneath the surface as it was a late Kane goal that sealed the points. Fast forward 13 months and another last-gasp Kane winner produced far more euphoria. "He is the best goalscorer in the world. You are always loath to take off a player of that ability," Southgate said.
Southgate urges England to make 2019 even better - Football
Lions' new coach Tatsuma Yoshida wants more intensity, confidence Amirul hopes to be named in new Lions coach Tatsuma Yoshida's first starting line-up, when they take on Solomon Islands at the
Football: Lions to play Soloman Islands, Myanmar, with new
Alex Telles stepped up to the penalty spot to send Porto into the Champions League quarter-finals with a win over Roma in a game dominated by VAR. Tiquinho Soares put the home side ahead midway
Barcalona beat Real Madrid to reach Copa del Rey final Madrid: FC Barcelona were outplayed by Real Madrid for much of their Copa del Rey semifinal second l
Real Madrid win at Barcelona to reach Copa del Rey final
0 comments:
Post a Comment