Sports

Manchester City crowned Premier League champions after Manchester United defeat

Published

3 years ago

May 12, 2021

Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons after Manchester United crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Leicester on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side are 10 points clear of second placed United and have wrapped up the title with three games to spare.
In the midst of a gruelling run of three games in five days, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer effectively handed the title to arch rivals City by picking a weakened team with 10 changes.
With many of City’s players watching on television, Luke Thomas’ 10th minute volley put Leicester ahead before Mason Greenwood equalised five minutes later.
Caglar Soyuncu’s towering header in the 66th minute ensured City could pop the champagne corks for a title party that has seemed inevitable for months.
City were denied the chance to celebrate on Sunday when Chelsea won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, while United kept them waiting with a victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
But the delay was only temporary and City, who also won the League Cup in April, can finally savour a title triumph that is all the sweeter given the obstacles they have overcome this term.
Treble-chasing City’s seventh top-flight title could be the prelude to an even greater triumph on May 29 when they face Chelsea in their first ever Champions League final.
Drained by the late finish to last season and ill-prepared due to the subsequent lack of a proper pre-season, City were slow out of the blocks.
After a dismal 1-1 draw against lowly West Bromwich Albion in December, City had won just five of their opening 12 Premier League games.
It was the worst start to a season of Guardiola’s managerial career, prompting the Spaniard in the startling admission that he didn’t like his team.
A coronavirus outbreak in the squad added to Guardiola’s problems in December.
Having surrendered the title meekly to Liverpool the previous season, it seemed City were heading for a period of regression.
But Guardiola masterminded such a superb recovery that City turned the title race into a procession, giving him three Premier League crowns to go with three La Liga trophies with Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
One of keys to City’s success has been the inspired form of Ruben Dias, who has transformed Guardiola’s defence since arriving from Benfica in August.
The Portugal centre-back’s rock-solid partnership with the revitalised John Stones laid the title foundations.
Even without club record goal scorer Sergio Aguero for long periods due to fitness issues, City have been a potent force.
The emergence of England playmaker Phil Foden as a match-winning force was crucial, with Kevin De Bruyne as consistent as ever despite battling injuries.
Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez produced spells of lethal finishing, while dynamic full-back Joao Cancelo wreaked havoc with his attacking bursts.
Manchester United and Chelsea appear poised for strong title challenges next season and Liverpool are likely to improve after an injury-hit campaign.
But after the exit of City legends David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure in recent years, Guardiola has created a new generation capable of reigning supreme for years to come.
Guardiola’s latest Premier League success gives him an astonishing 26 major trophies in his managerial career.
With two trophies already secured this season, the City boss can focus on completing a memorable treble by winning his club’s first Champions League crown.
He will have his work cut out after Thomas Tuchel’s side won the last two meetings between the sides, including the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
For all Guardiola’s protestations that domestic success is the most significant achievement, it is the Champions League that remains his holy grail.
The 50-year-old has not won the tournament since the second of his triumphs with Barcelona in 2011, leading to belittling claims Argentina superstar Lionel Messi was the key to those Champions League victories rather than the coach.
Taking City to the Champions League title in their maiden final appearance would be a glorious way for Guardiola to silence his critics once and for all.

Sports

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Published

21 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristiano Ronaldo

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Juventus have been ordered to pay Cristiano Ronaldo £8.3m in owed wages by an Italian court.

Ronaldo, 39, agreed to defer wages when football in Italy was halted by the Covid pandemic in the 2020-21 season.

The Portuguese had claimed he was owed more than £17m by his former club.

Court orders Juventus to pay Ronaldo £8.3m

Sports

Arsenal need support, love, after Champions League exit – Arteta

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Trends Admin

Arsenal need support, love, after Champions League exit – Arteta

Mikel Arteta says he has to show his Arsenal side “support and love” after Bayern Munich knocked them out of the Champions League.

Joshua Kimmich’s second-half header in Germany gave Bayern a 1-0 win on the night, and a 3-2 aggregate victory in their quarter-final.

It was a second successive defeat for Arsenal, who lost control of the Premier League title race last Sunday as Aston Villa beat them 2-0.

“I wish I had the right words to say to the players to make them feel better. What I am going to do – and all the coaching staff too – is to be close to the players.” Arteta said.

“I feel so grateful to be the coach and to work with them every single day.”

Arsenal were chasing a first Champions League semi-final spot since 2009, with Arteta accepting his team were inexperienced at this stage of the competition.

This was their first quarter-final appearance since 2010.

“We haven’t played this competition for seven years and we haven’t been in this stage for 14 years,” he said. “There’s a reason for it.

“We want to do everything fast-forward, super-quick, in one season. I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final because the margins are very small.

“Those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don’t have yet. We have to learn it.

“When you look historically, it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it. Today, that’s not going to make us feel better that’s for sure.”

The Gunners, who need City to drop points if they are to win the league for the first time since 2003-04, return to Premier League action at Wolves on Saturday.

“What I need to do is stand right next to them and give them support and our love and we have to pick it up because on Saturday we have a big, big game,” said Arteta.

“We are still playing for the Premier League. The Premier League is there and we really want it. We have to show now that we are capable of turning this around.”

Sports

It’s massive win, says Bellingham as Real Madrid knock out Man City from UCL

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Trends Admin

It’s massive win, says Bellingham as Real Madrid knock out Man City from UCL

Manchester City are out of the Champions League following a penalty shoot-out defeat they suffered Wednesday night in the hands of Real Madrid in an epic encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
After a 1-1 draw on the night that left the teams tied 4-4 on aggregate, Antonio Rudiger scored the winning spot-kick after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic had their attempts saved to see the 14-time winners progress 4-3 in the shoot-out.
Rodrygo had given Carlo Ancelotti’s side the advantage on the night and in the tie with an early goal on the counter-attack but Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute equaliser took the game into extra-time, in which neither heavyweight could deliver the knockout blow.
It was a back-to-the-wall effort by Madrid and Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions were applauded from the pitch even in defeat.

But their hopes of an unprecedented second successive treble are over. It is Madrid who face Bayern Munich in the last four.

Bellingham: This was beautiful

“It’s a relief because you put so much into the game,” said Bellingham, speaking to TNT Sports.

“To win the game was a massive reward.

“It is incredible. Moments like this are magic and it just comes down to mentality.”

Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (Agg 4-4, Madrid win 4-3 on pens)

Sky Sport