LONDON (REUTERS) - Manchester City returned with a swagger from the international break on Saturday (March 30), resuming their quest for four trophies with another dominant 2-0 win at Fulham that thrust them back to the top of the Premier League.
On the afternoon that Huddersfield Town were relegated and Manchester United celebrated the full-time managerial appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 2-1 win over Watford, City again demonstrated why they remain the league's benchmark.
Bernardo Silva scored for the third game in a row and Sergio Aguero extended his league-leading tally to 19 in a dazzling early spell, allowing the champions to ease to a seventh straight league victory while never having to hit the heights.
It restored City's advantage at the top, one point ahead of Liverpool on 77 points with both sides having played 31 games, though Juergen Klopp's men could return to the summit with a win over third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Still, City, who have won the League Cup and are in the FA Cup semi-finals and Champions League quarter-finals, moved closer to an unprecedented, if still unlikely, 'quadruple' with 14 matches left.
Without seemingly having broken stride, their cosmopolitan crew reconvened after the international break and looked as if they had never been apart as soon as Bernardo Silva arrowed in a left-footed strike within five minutes.
For manager Pep Guardiola, the lunchtime stroll at Craven Cottage, featuring the return of key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho after injury, felt like the most perfect resumption with the pressure immediately restored on Liverpool.
"The first 15, 20 minutes was incredible with the way we played," he told the BBC.
"After the international break, you usually miss a bit with your rhythm. This game was tricky - 12.30 on a Saturday, a sunny day. That is unusual, and that is why I am so satisfied.
"We don't think too much about what people say about the quadruple. What Liverpool and Manchester City have done in the Premier League both deserve credit. That's why we are (both) here."
WINNING START
Manchester United moved into fourth place, level with Tottenham Hotspur on 61 points having played a game more, as Solskjaer got his permanent reign off to a winning start with victory over unfortunate Watford.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial secured United's win, even though this was far from their most convincing performance under the Norwegian as Watford deserved more for their enterprise than a late Abdoulaye Doucoure consolation.
Â
Â
Still, the win lifted United above Arsenal, who host Newcastle United on Monday.
At the other end of the table, as 19th-placed Fulham's defeat left them a step closer to what looks certain relegation, Huddersfield's even more inevitable demotion to the Championship was confirmed with a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
The Terriers became only the second team in the Premier League era to be relegated before the end of March as they lost to goals from Luka Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt.
Wins for 17th-placed Burnley, 2-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and 16th-placed Southampton, 1-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion, ensured their fate was sealed as they matched Derby County's record, set in 2008, for the earliest relegation from the Premier League after 32 games.
Leicester City marked an emotional day for the club on what would have been the 61st birthday of their late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter accident in October, by beating Bournemouth 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.
His image was flashed up on the big screen along with the words "Always in our hearts" before the match and, in the 61st minute, the fans rose to applaud his memory.
In the day's late game, West Ham United, after six unbeaten matches at the London Stadium, came unstuck with a lacklustre 2-0 home defeat by Everton Goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard moved Everton above the Hammers into ninth, one point behind Wolves and Leicester.
Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praises Romelu Lukaku impact. Forward Alexis Sanchez failed to impress in another lacklustre showing, but striker Lukaku scored two well
Lukaku inspires Man United to 3-1 win at Palace - Reuters
VALENCIA: Valencia eased into the Europa League semi-finals for the first time in five years with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to fellow Spaniards Villarreal in heavy rain on Thursday for a resounding 5-1 aggregate scoreline.
Valencia stroll into Europa semis with Villarreal win
Football news - Wolves deepen Cardiff's relegation plight with 2-0 win. By Reuters. 02/03/2019 at 17:34 Updated 02/03/2019 at 19:01.
Wolves deepen Cardiff's relegation plight with 2-0 win - The
AC Milan miss out on top-four finish despite SPAL win. was hauled down to rekindle Milan's hopes of earning Champions League football next season, but their joy was short-lived as news of
AC Milan miss out on top-four finish despite SPAL win | Free
MANCHESTER (REUTERS) - Manchester City took a big step towards retaining the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday (April 24) sending them back to
City inflict more pain on Man Utd to go back top - Nehanda Radio
Football: Chelsea face partial stadium closure over alleged racist chanting by fans as Uefa opens case A general view inside Stamford Bridge stadium. PHOTO: REUTERS
Chelsea face stadium closure as UEFA opens disciplinary
Football: Tributes pour in for Stoke's England World Cup
Football News -BARCELONA (REUTERS) - Lionel Messi put Barcelona on the verge of the Champions League final with a devastating double in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of their
Messi torments Liverpool with 600th Barca goal in 3-0 win in
Lippi earns sympathy despite reign ending on gloomy note. Qatar's Abdulaziz Hatem (No. 6) celebrating his goal against South Korea during their 1-0 Asian Cup quarter-final win yesterday, as Korean
Lippi earns sympathy despite reign ending on gloomy note
Jan 25, 2019 · 'It's got the feel of the old Wimbledon': Downes and Hodges plot FA Cup shock Wimbledon's 5-1 defeat to West Ham in a fifth-round replay in 1985. now in football, their rebirth as
AFC Wimbledon stun West Ham 4-2 in FA Cup - bbc.com
Ronaldo fined, not jailed for tax fraud, Football News & Top
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar