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.
NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom (AFP) - Liverpool struck late through Divock Origi to move back top of the Premier League with a thrilling 3-2 win at Newcastle on Saturday (May 4) and keep their hopes
Liverpool back on top with Newcastle win but lose Salah
Mauricio Pochettino says Harry Kane is making a "fantastic" recovery and could be back in action ahead of schedule following the ankle injury he suffered last month against Manchester United. Kane was initially ruled out until March, but Spurs boss Pochettino said the England captain could feature
Champions League: FC Porto Go Through With Extra Time VAR Penalty Kick FC Porto converted a penalty kick awarded following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review three minutes from the end of
Football: Porto go through in Champions League with extra
Solskjaer warns Man Utd players over complacency and will look to keep that sequence going at Old Trafford on Saturday. "I want players to be confident but not be complacent and take their
Solskjaer warns Man Utd players over complacency | National
South Korea beat China 2-0 to secure top spot in Group C at the Asian Cup on Wednesday as Tottenham's Son Heung-min made his first appearance in the tournament for Paulo Bento's side.. The Spurs
Son Heung-min helps South Korea beat China 2-0 at Asian Cup
Ex-United star denies homophobia after spat with PSG
Football: 'Brilliant' Reds have belief LONDON • Jurgen Klopp has described Liverpool as the best team he has taken to a Cup final and believes defeat in Kiev last May focused their mindset on winning this season's Champions League.
'Brilliant' Reds have belief - Virginia Bus
virginiabus.info/sports/brilliant-reds-have-belief/
LONDON • Jurgen Klopp has described Liverpool as the best team he has taken to a Cup final and believes defeat in Kiev last May focused their mindset on winning this season's Champions League. The Reds are aiming to become champions of Europe for a sixth time - and their manager to break a sequence […]
Andy Robertson Says Liverpool Have EPL Title Belief After
However Pochettino went on to distance himself from the rumours, more or less re-affirming his commitment to Spurs by saying: "I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here." There was rumour that Pochettino's contract with Spurs included a clause that would allow him to leave in the instance of an offer from
Pochettino happy at Spurs but would `have to listen´ to
Edinson Cavani missed a stoppage-time penalty as Paris St Germain continued their stuttering end to the season with a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at home to Nice, with Neymar notching his 50th goal for the club.
Football: Neymar hits half-century as PSG are held by Nice
Sky Sports Premier League, Cardiff City Stadium He may not want to take that risk here as Chelsea look to bounce back from their defeat at Everton two weeks ago, which would keep them within
Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham handed top-four boost as
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Men's Basketball team will host five summer camps - Little Kids Camp (June 8), Shooting Camp (June 8), Skills Camp (June 10-12), Team Camp (June 14-16), and an Elite Camp (August 9-10) - at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
Noh Meaning in Urdu - جاپان کا روایتی ڈراما جِس میں رقص اور
Ozil opened the scoring after just four minutes before turning provider for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to double Arsenal's lead. Lys Mousset briefly gave Bournemouth hope before half-time, but Ozil and
Premier League » News » Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past
Jesus shines as City regain top spot, Eriksen fires Spurs 16 Dec 2018 - 11:56 Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring their second goal with Bernardo Silva, December 15, 2018.
Jesus shines as City regain top spot, Eriksen fires Spurs
0 comments:
Post a Comment