We’re all just keeping our fingers crossed for a City slip-up: Fabregas
CESC Fabregas admits Chelsea and the other Premier League title challengers are now hoping for Manchester City to suffer a slip as Pep Guardiola’s side continue to dominate.
City are the odds-on favourites to win the trophy having stormed out of the blocks this season, leaving the likes of neighbours Manchester United and reigning champions Chelsea trailing in their wake.
The Blues have started to put together a strong run of results, though, and saw off Newcastle 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Eden Hazard starred.
Dwight Gayle put the visitors into a surprise lead in Saturday’s early kick-off only for Hazard to first level and then wrap up the points with a Panenka penalty after Alvaro Morata had headed Antonio Conte’s men in front.
Despite Chelsea clinching six wins from their last seven games, Fabregas knows the Blues need City to start dropping points to give them any chance of retaining their crown.
“It is important to get the win,” he said.
“We needed to win before the top teams played and it was an important three points. It is still a long way to go and that is why we have to hope Manchester City will slip up and we will manage to put some pressure on them.
“They are there because they deserve it and our job is just to keep going and see what happens at the top.”
In contrast to Chelsea’s form, Newcastle have now taken just a point from their previous six games. Midfielder Mikel Merino was suitably impressed by Chelsea to back them to play a part in the title race.
“Chelsea are a really good team,” he said.
“They have pace, they have ability and they are individually one of the strongest teams in the league.
“The way they play is so hard to play against. We started by scoring a goal, but in the end they have pace, ability and they have won the match.” THIS game was everything you would want one between Arsenal and Manchester United to be: relentless, dramatic, end-toend, combining brilliant football, buckets of chances and a sprinkling of violence.
But when the dust settled on what felt like a throwback to the great old days of this fixture, this was a thumping vindication for Jose Mourinho, overturning years of underperformance in games like this.
Mourinho teams have struggled in these Big Six away ties — four goals and five points in their last 11 before today.
Here at the Emirates they came away with three of each, exerting as much pressure as they still can on a Manchester City side threatening to pull away into the distance.
This was a game so full of events, turning points and contingencies that nothing that happened can be said to be inevitable.
But the way it did go, United taking it 3-1, was a result for Mourinho’s game plan, and proof that he does still know how to come out of matches like this.
It just takes an amenable opponent, a world-class goalkeeper and a touch of luck. This was