Jesus strikes as City shrug off Leicester
LEICESTER:GABRIEL Jesus came off the bench to secure Manchester City a 1-0 Premier League victory at Leicester City after yet another penalty miss by Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
It looked like being a frustrating day for second-placed City when Kasper Schmeichel saved Sergio Aguero’s spot kick just past the hour but Jesus spared his blushes late on.
The Brazilian was fractionally onside as he collected a pass by former Leicester title winner Riyad Mahrez and he showed great composure to power a shot past Schmeichel.
Victory lifted City seven points above Leicester in the battle for runners-up spot behind runaway leaders Liverpool who remain 19 points clear before their clash with lowly West Ham United at Anfield on Monday.
While Liverpool’s first title for 30 years is a formality, champions City showed that they will not take their foot off the gas as they edged an absorbing game that surprisingly required 80 minutes for the deadlock to be broken.
Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy rattled the post for Leicester early on and the home side were a constant threat. At the other end Schmeichel made great saves from Kevin de Bruyne, Aguero and Mahrez while Aguero also had a goal ruled out for offside.
Danish keeper Schmeichel’s block from Aguero’s penalty means Manchester City have now failed to score five of their last seven in all competitions.
“We have missed four penalties in a row but maybe we will shoot a penalty when we need it to win something,” Guardiola said. “The keepers are good too.”
MAN UNITED STAY IN CONTENTION
MANCHESTER:MANCHESTER United kept alive their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four after goals from Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood secured a 3-0 home win over Watford on Sunday.
Portugal midfielder Fernandes scored his first goal for United with a 42nd-minute penalty before Martial and Greenwood netted fine individual efforts to lift them two places up to fifth on 41 points from 27 games.
United are three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur while struggling Watford stayed 19th on 24 points.
The home team’s manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the agile Fernandes and Greenwood. “A very good win, two good wins and two clean sheets, some goals to celebrate, now we want to kick on,” Solskjaer told the BBC, also referring to United’s 2-0 win at Chelsea on Monday.
“Fernandes is quicker than he looks. Very excited by having him in. He has come in, given everyone a boost and wants to conduct a game. There are big games coming up now. The thing that matters in football is scoring goals and that is what Greenwood does.”
THREE LONG MONTHS AHEAD FOR SPURS: JOSE
LONDON:A 2-1 defeat by Chelsea in slammed the brakes on Tottenham’s recent revival and left manager Jose Mourinho predicting a ‘tough three months’ ahead on Saturday.
With strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min unavailable with long-term injuries, Tottenham were lightweight against their London rivals as the chance to move above them into fourth spot in the Premier League passed them by.
Mourinho said he had no complaints with the result, pointing out that his players were being asked to perform ‘miracles’.
“I’m so proud of the boys they fought for the last seconds for a result,” Mourinho, whose side had closed to within a point of Chelsea after three consecutive league wins but are now four behind, told reporters at Stamford Bridge.
“I cannot ask more from them, especially Lucas (Moura), (Giovani) Lo Celso, (Steven) Bergwijn these boys that are playing every minute and trying to do miracles in positions that are not their positions. I cannot complain.”
Tottenham’s lack of striking options are threatening to wreck their top-four ambitions, although Mourinho’s team selection was still puzzling with forward Dele Alli left on the bench and Erik Lamela playing only for 20 minutes.
“I am going to be repetitive,” he said “I would love to be at July 1. I would love to be in pre-season, working with Harry Kane, (Moussa) Sissoko and Sonny. That’s not possible. We have three long months to go in three competitions where we are still (in). It’s going to be three long months.”