Manchester City missed the chance to win the Premier League title as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side went into the game against their upcoming Champions League Final opponents knowing that a win would be enough to give them an unassailable tally at the summit of the Premier League. But, with one eye on that upcoming European meeting, the City boss named a highly unusual side, making nine changes from the starting XI that beat Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
The change in personnel and formation didn’t seem to knock City off their stride too much however, and Raheem Sterling opened the scoring just before half-time, tucking his shot home off the toes of Sergio Aguero after the Argentine had miscontrolled with the goal gaping.
But Aguero’s unusual game continued in stoppage time at the end of the first half when – after Gabriel Jesus had been fouled by Billy Gilmour – he failed to execute a Panenka penalty, allowing goalkeeper Edouard Mendy the time to get back to his feet and make an extremely comfortable save.
And City were made to pay for that miss when Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso scored second half goals that earned Chelsea the win, significantly strengthening their chances of a top four finish and temporarily denying their opponents the title.
Victory would have taken City to an unassailable 83 points, but the defeat means that closest challengers Manchester United could still mathematically overhaul their neighbours, forcing Guardiola to wait for confirmation of a third Premier League title in four years.
However, speaking prior to kick-off, Guardiola didn’t seem overly concerned about the prospect of having to wait for the title.
“The Premier League is 38 fixtures, it’s everyone with everyone, so at the end it’s not important when (you win), it’s to finish one point ahead of the opponents,” the City boss said.
Anything other than three consecutive wins in Manchester United’s upcoming matches this week would confirm City as champions.
That title confirmation could come as early as Sunday afternoon, with United travelling to Birmingham to play Aston Villa. And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will play two further games in the coming week, against Leicester City and Liverpool, before City next take to the field on Friday evening.
Manchester City have four matches remaining this season: against Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton in the Premier League, before the Champions League Final against Chelsea on Saturday 29 May.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vV0VoC
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