City put pressure back on Reds
Struggling to stay in touch a few weeks ago, Citizens draw level with Liverpool, who have a game in hand
MANCHESTER:AS Manchester City fans left Goodison Park after a 2-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday that sent their team back to the top of the Premier League, they aimed their chants across adjacent Stanley Park to title rivals Liverpool.
The taunt of ‘Juergen’s cracking up’ directed at Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp was perhaps a reference to the slightly tetchy television interviews the German had given after his team’s 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Monday. It was, of course, banter of the kind football fans love to engage in but the feeling that Liverpool are nervously feeling the pressure of the title race is growing widely. Liverpool have not won the domestic league title for 29 years, a period that has included a lengthy spell of domination from their bitterest rivals Manchester United.
That run should have ended in 2014 when Brendan Rodgers’s team featuring Luis Suarez in attack found themselves five points clear with three games remaining. But defeat at home by Chelsea and a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace saw Man City, who won their last five games, grab the title on the final day.
It was an agonising and crushing end to the season and while Klopp has since transformed the team, taking them to the Champions League final last season, the memory remains for the supporters. Now with City above Liverpool for the first time since December 8, the pressure is firmly on Klopp’s team, who host Bournemouth on Saturday. After successive draws — at home to Leicester and at West Ham — Liverpool sorely need to pick up three points. Liverpool have not gone two home matches without a win since December, 2017 and have only ever lost once to the Cherries — a 4-3 defeat in Bournemouth in 2016. Klopp’s side have won the last three meetings by a totalof11goalstonone.
City get a chance to respond to whatever happens at Anfield when they face Chelsea on Sunday, a match their manager Pep Guardiola describes an ‘incredible test’.
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EMERY: ARSENAL MUST IMPROVE AWAY FORM
LONDON:ARSENAL can finish in the Premier League’s top four but must pick up more points from away games by fixing their leaky defence and improving their mentality, manager Unai Emery said on Thursday.
Sixth-placed Arsenal, three points off a Champions League spot, have not won in six away
City points league games since a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth in November. They have, however, racked up six consecutive home wins to stay in touch with the leaders.
“We’re strong at home but I think we need to do better away. We started very well, changing our mentality to get more points away,” Emery said ahead of Saturday’s trip to bottom side Huddersfield Town.
“My first critic is myself. We can make the top four, but we know it’s not easy. For us away, each match is a new challenge butitisabigpossibility to take the three points.”
Arsenal are the only Premier League team yet to keep a clean sheet in an away game this season and Emery has experimented with different combinations at the back.
every three days for three months. I don't know how far we will get, maybe we will die in the road, but we are trying.” On busy schedule
too much about that but four or five days ago we could have been seven points behind, it is a lesson to never give up.” On their climb to top Everton 0 Manchester City 2 Laporte 45+2 Jesus 90 +7
PMan City 26 20 2 Liverpool 25 19 5 Tottenham 25 19 0 Chelsea 25 15 5 Man United25 14 6
L4 1 6 5 5 48 62 41 62 27 57 22 50 14 48