Man U held, Choupo-Moting fires Stoke

Red Devils stay top

Liverpool’s German midfielder Emre Can (left), vies with Manchester City’s French defender Benjamin Mendy during the English Premier League football

match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England on Sept 9. (AFP)

STOKE-ON-TRENT, United Kingdom, Sept 9, (AFP): Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ended Manchester United's perfect start to the Premier League season as his first two goals for Stoke secured a 2-2 draw against Jose Mourinho's side on Saturday.

Choupo-Moting gave Stoke the lead before grabbing the crucial equaliser on 43 and 63 minutes with Rashford equalising with a lucky, involuntary header on the stroke of half-time before Lukaku's fourth goal in as many United appearances gave them a lead that lasted for just six minutes.

Stoke threatened first as ChoupoMoting chased a chip over the United back four and Eric Bailly had to race back to make an important challenge to concede a corner.

And United looked sluggish again moments later as they failed to defend a punt down the middle by Jack Butland which was collected by the darting Jese Rodriguez. He found himself in the clear but had to shoot from a tight angle and fired past the far post.

United took the sting out of Stoke's early attacks and had some promising possession of their own but they had a further scare in the 18th minute.

Xherdan Shaqiri hit a shot from distance for Stoke on 27 minutes and United goalkeeper David De Gea did well not just to save it but hold onto the ball.

Butland made a smart save at the other end from Rashford with Lukaku flagged offside as he chased the rebound.

After a largely scrappy first half in which Stoke more than held their own, they claimed the lead two minutes before the break.

Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford (right), shields the ball from Stoke City’s Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf (left).

The goal was made by two former United players with Darren Fletcher angling a pass to the right and Mame Diouf delivering a dangerous cross for Choupo-Moting to sneak ahead of Bailly and tap home.

But the lead lasted for just three minutes with United pulling level in first-half stoppage time.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan's corner from the left was headed towards goal by Paul Pogba before striking Rashford on the head and beating Butland. Stoke appealed for offside but replays proved their complaints were unfounded.

Early in the second half, Shaqiri twisted his way past two United defenders wide on the right but his angled cross drifted beyond the far post.

And 12 minutes into the half United were ahead as Stoke became architects of their own downfall.

Joe Allen squandered possession to Matteo Darmian, he found Mkhitaryan and the Armenian's fine pass picked out Lukaku, who was played onside by Erik Pieters. easier for us and we played the second half the way we wanted to,” said City manager Pep Guardiola.

“The game was open until the sending-off. I don’t know if it was a red card.”

With Liverpool having avoided defeat against their top-six rivals last season, it was the first time Jurgen Klopp’s side had lost to one of their principal adversaries since a 1-0 loss at home to Manchester United in January 2016.

It meant Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a deja vu debut after coming on at half-time for Liverpool, having succumbed to a 4-0 defeat against his new club on his last appearance for Arsenal before the international break.

“But the decisive decision in the whole game was the red card. I don’t think it was a red card. Sadio didn’t see the goalkeeper. “I hope people see it for what it is.” While Mane’s dismissal was a key factor in the game’s outcome, the emphatic nature of City’s win suggests Guardiola’s second season as manager will yield a serious title challenge.

City are unbeaten in 12 league games, their best run under Guardiola, while Argentina striker Aguero is now the outright leading non-European goal-scorer in English top-flight history with 124 goals.

It took City 24 minutes to unpick the visitors’ back four as Kevin De Bruyne’s delicately weighted through-ball freed Aguero to skip past Simon Mignolet and score for the sixth successive home game against Liverpool.

Guardiola had reverted to a 3-52 system and left-sided centre-back Nicolas Otamendi immediately looked vulnerable against Liverpool’s speedy

Manchester City’s English defender John Stones (right), vies with Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England on Sept 9. (AFP)

right-winger Mohamed Salah.

Otamendi was booked for clattering Salah in the sixth minute and after City’s opener, the Argentinian’s poor positioning allowed Mane to release Salah, only for Ederson to come to the rescue with a smart save.

City continued to carry the greater threat and tested Mignolet twice in quick succession, the Belgian blocking a shot from Jesus, who had robbed Ragnar Klavan, and jutting out a foot to thwart John Stones from the ensuing corner.

Two minutes later the game’s pivotal moment occurred.

Joel Matip’s lofted pass sent Mane scampering clear and as Ederson rushed from his line to head the ball clear, the Senegal forward leapt and caught him in the face with his outstretched right boot.

It was unintentional but reckless and referee Jon Moss immediately flashed a red card.

Flattened by the collision with Mane, Ederson spent eight minutes receiving treatment on the pitch before Claudio Bravo came on in his place.

Ederson underwent tests for a suspected fractured jaw and cheekbone, but City’s medical team found no serious damage.

The added time enabled City to swell their lead, De Bruyne crossing from the left for Jesus to head home moments after a goal issuing from the same combination had been ruled out for offside.

Any Liverpool hopes of a secondhalf fightback evaporated within eight minutes of the restart as Fernandinho freed Aguero, who unselfishly teed up Jesus to tuck away his second goal.

Sane added a fourth with 13 minutes to go, brilliantly sweeping home debutant Benjamin Mendy’s left-wing cross, before putting the cherry on the cake in stoppage time with a sublime curler into the topleft corner.

Results/Standings Page 35