Premier League title race will go down the wire, says Sterling. >32
Forward’s double helps champions City beat Palace
LONDON: Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling struck twice as the English Premier League champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park and heap pressure on title rivals Liverpool.
The victory was the ninth straight win for City in the Premier League.
Having missed an easy chance early on, Sterling put City ahead in the 15th minute when he ran on to Kevin De Bruyne’s inch-perfect pass from behind the halfway line and fired past goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
The England international added a second for his 17th league goal of the season after the break, meeting Leroy Sane’s first-time cross into the box with a calm left-footed finish that wrong-footed Guaita as it rolled in.
Palace ensured an entertaining finish to the contest when Luka Milivojevic scored from a free-kick with nine minutes to go after midfielder James McArthur was brought down on the edge of the penalty area.
City, however, sealed the deal with their third of the match as De Bruyne latched on to a poor pass from defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka before feeding substitute Gabriel Jesus who finished emphatically.
“We controlled the ball really well but one moment in the game and they are back in it. But we responded again and got the third goal,” said Sterling, who added his belief that the title race will go down to the wire.
“100% the way Liverpool have been playing. It will go down to the wire.
“I don’t see us slowing down now. Liverpool have a great squad, great self-belief, but so do we,” said the former Liverpool forward.
Pep Guardiola’s side now face a crucial 10 days starting with a home game against Tottenham on Wednesday in their Champions League quarter-final second leg, trailing 1-0 from the opening game.
City then play Spurs at the Etihad again, in the league, on Saturday before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on April 24.
Guardiola said battling for a quintuple – he counts the lightly-regarded Community Shield which they won at the outset of the season and have also won the English League Cup – he could feel the pressure building on achieving that historic feat.
“This pressure is incredible. We are fighting to be champions back to back,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports.
“In two seasons we’ve got 83 points with five games left. We’ve won two titles (Community Shield) and now it’s the FA Cup final.”
Sterling said a glaring early miss had not upset him unduly.
“When I was younger you always want to score your first opportunity and sometimes it doesn’t happen like that,” he said.
“You don’t beat yourself up. There’s 80 minutes left, you just have to be ready for the next opportunity.
“That’s the mentality, just keep going and the chance will come.” — Agencies