SOUTHAMPTON (AFP) - Manchester City showed they are willing to accept the challenge of Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-1 win away to Southampton on Sunday (Dec 30).
Following shock defeats by Crystal Palace and Leicester, reigning champions City cut the gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Liverpool to seven points ahead of their meeting with the Merseysiders at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.
But they allowed a limited Southampton side back into the game after a dominating start, which suggests there are still frailties for Liverpool to exploit.
David Silva put City ahead after 10 minutes but they passed up a number of chances to add to the lead and gifted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg an equaliser in the 37th minute.
For a period, Pep Guardiola's side looked fragile, but a James Ward-Prowse own-goal and a header by Sergio Aguero just before half-time restored their confidence.
Saints' frustrations boiled over with a red card for Hojbjerg after a wild challenge on Fernandinho late in the game.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl sprang a surprise in his team selection by giving a debut to 18-year-old former Chelsea starlet Kayne Ramsay at right-back.
Â
Â
Â
City should have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Jack Stephens allowed Raheem Sterling to steal possession and set up David Silva.
But the City man tried to be too deliberate, with his shot blocked by goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
But Saints could also have taken a more surprising lead after eight minutes when Mohamed Elyounoussi's clever flick over the City defence sent Charlie Austin clear.
Austin's first touch, however, was dreadful and sent the ball into Ederson's grateful arms.
Instead of being a goal up, the home side were behind within a minute.
The left side of their defence was opened up with ease by a simple one-two, leaving Bernardo Silva clear of full-back Matt Targett and free to advance down the right. He had all the time he wanted to pick out the unmarked David Silva, who hit the ball first-time past McCarthy.
Riyad Mahrez then shot wide after a move that began with City playing a series of passes inside their own penalty area.
And Aguero squandered an excellent chance in the 25th minute, hitting his shot against McCarthy after Sterling had accelerated past the hapless Targett.
But overplaying at the other end almost proved City's undoing.
Ederson was nearly caught by Austin before dribbling round the striker. But he showed a mastery of the more conventional goalkeeping arts on the half-hour with a diving save to keep out Austin's glancing header from a corner by Ward-Prowse.
City did not heed the warning and Saints were level after 36 minutes.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was slow to see Hojbjerg closing in on him and the Southampton captain robbed the Ukraine defender and strode forward before lashing the ball in from 15 yards.
City double stuns Saints
Zinchenko could count himself lucky that referee Paul Tierney did not see his barge on Ward-Prowse after 44 minutes as a penalty.
And the home crowd were still complaining about that decision when City retook the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Sterling forced his way down the left and fired in a low cross that hit the foot of Ward-Prowse and zipped between the surprised McCarthy and his near post.
And the crowd's disbelief was complete three minutes into first-half stoppage time when Aguero rose unchallenged by Jan Bednarek to nod Zinchenko's cross under McCarthy.
In the second half both sides went through the motions. City had the points they needed and Southampton were happy to avoid further damage to their confidence and goal difference. But even then City could have had three or four more goals.
Sterling shot straight at McCarthy, Aguero hit the angle of the post and crossbar, and Mahrez blasted straight at the goalkeeper.
Frustration got the better of Hojbjerg, who launched into a scissors-style challenge on Fernandinho and was rightly sent off.
Football: Free curry fish head, bak chor mee for Liverpool fans if Reds beat Tottenham to win Champions League SINGAPORE - Liverpool fans will have an extra reason to celebrate if the Reds win the Champions League final on Sunday morning (June 2, Singapore time), with at least two food and beverage outlets offering free food to ardent supporters.
Football: Free curry fish head and bak chor mee for Liverpool
BUENOS AIRES (REUTERS) - Argentina have appointed 80-year-old former coach Cesar Luis Menotti as director of national teams, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Monday (Jan 14).. Read
Menotti named Argentina's director of national teams
adtest.supersport.com/football/argentina/news/190115/Menotti_named_Argentinas_director_of_national_teams
Argentina have appointed 80-year-old former coach Cesar Luis Menotti as director of national teams, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Monday. Menotti, who led Argentina to their first World Cup title in 1978, will be charged with overseeing the 10-year plan unveiled last November to finding a "footballing identity" for the two
80-year-old Menotti named director of Argentina's national
Radojko Avramović took over as coach of the flailing and deflated Singapore national football team in July 2003. Singapore started the 2004 AFF Championship as underdogs but a 1-1 draw in their first game against hosts Vietnam, another draw against Indonesia, and wins against Cambodia and Laos saw them qualify for the semi-finals.
I believe in the potential of Singapore football to reach
Mourinho concedes Man Utd incapable of living with Liverpool 2018 Football, this season continued as United strained to keep a rampant Liverpool at bay and were only level for so long
Mourinho concedes Man Utd incapable of living with Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp concedes he faces a selection dilemma as centre back Dejan Lovren is unlikely to feature against Bayern Munich in Tuesday's Champions League last 16 fixture at
List of Exempted Permits Construction Services & Permitting Division, Planning & Economic Development Department, City of St. Petersburg Electrical Permits (cont.) 9. The wiring for temporary theater, motion picture or television stage sets that have been issued a Motion Picture Maker Permit. 10.
Temporary Child Custody Laws - JustAnswer
Four gray wolves (Canis lupus) have been airdropped into Michigan for a very important assignment. The quartet, originally from Canada, has been helicoptered into Isle Royale national park to
How to Own a Pet Wolf: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
Tottenham Hotspur showed why manager Mauricio Pochettino is a wanted man by thrashing Everton 6-2 at Goodison Park on Sunday to close to within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool. Spurs have had to cope with the unwanted attention of Pochettino being linked with the Manchester United job following Jose Mourinho's sacking this week.
Spurs shine to hit Everton for six | The Guardian Nigeria
Football: Ikhsan Fandi scores first competitive goal for Norwegian club Raufoss with overhead-kick winner The top two teams earn automatic promotion while third to sixth enter the play-off for
Ikhsan Fandi scores 1st goal for Norwegian club Raufoss with
Meanwhile, relatives of missing Premier League player Emiliano Sala on Saturday began a private search for his plane, which disappeared over the Channel, after local police called off their own rescue mission. The news was announced by an online fund-raising campaign for the operation and confirmed by a friend of the Argentine striker's family.
Emiliano Sala campaign raises £130,000 to fund private search
Atletico Madrid needed Thomas Lemar to come off the bench and score an 85th-minute winner against Eibar on Saturday as they stretched their lead over Real Madrid to seven points in La Liga. Real play at home to in-form Athletic Bilbao on Sunday but Atletico took another step towards finishing above their city rivals for a second consecutive
Atletico extend lead over Real with narrow win over Eibar | IOL
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will travel with the rest of their squad for their FA Cup semifinal against Brighton and Hove Albion having nearly recovered from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said Friday.
Football: Man City's Aguero in frame to face Brighton in FA Cup
Jan 28, 2019 · Paris St Germain coach Thomas Tuchel admits it will be "very difficult" for Neymar to be able to face Manchester United in their Champions League tie because of a foot problem. The Ligue 1 leaders
Liverpool: Goals from Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino earned Liverpool a 2-0 win over Porto on Tuesday as Juergen Klopp's side took the upper hand in their Champions League quarter-final tie
Soccer: Keita and Firmino give Liverpool 2-0 win over Porto
0 comments:
Post a Comment