Man City closes in on record points tally
LONDON: Manchester City secured a comfortable 41 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium yesterday to move within two of the English Premier League’s singleseason points record.
PFA Young Player of the Year Leroy Sane got City — confirmed as Premier League champion two weeks ago — up and running in the 13th minute as his strike from the edge of the penalty area was deflected in by Patrice Evra.
Former City defender Pablo Zabaleta put one through his own net 14 minutes later to score City’s 100th Premier League goal of the season before Aaron Cresswell curled home a 42ndminute free kick to get West Ham back in it.
Secondhalf goals from Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho made sure of the win, leaving West Ham three points above the relegation zone in 15th.
City’s tally of
102 goals for the season is one off Chelsea’s Premier
League record set in 200910.
It has 93 points, two short of the Premier League best set by Chelsea in 200405.
‘‘We wanted to win today so that we can get the record of 96 points at home when we get the trophy in front of our people next week,’’ City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Arsene Wenger’s final match at Old Trafford as Arsenal manager ended in defeat as a stoppagetime header from substitute Marouane Fellaini earned Manchester United a 21 win.
Paul Pogba had given United a 16thminute lead before Henrikh Mkhitaryan, signed from United in January, brought Arsenal level, six minutes after the interval.
It looked like a youthful, mostly secondstring Arsenal side had earned a respectable draw before Belgian Fellaini nodded in a cross from Ashley Young to seal victory for Jose Mourinho’s side and secure its Champions League place for next season.
With a trip to Madrid to face Atletico on Friday in the second leg of its Europa League semifinal, poised at 11, it was the youngest side put out for a Premier League game by Wenger in nearly seven years.
A Celtic sealed a seventh straight Scottish title after thrashing Old Firm Glasgow rival Rangers 50 at Celtic Park yesterday, opening up an unassailable 10point lead at the top of the table with three games to play.
Celtic’s season is not over yet, as it still has the Scottish Cup final against Motherwell to come, as it chases an unprecedented second successive Scottish treble.
A Lionel Messi scored a hattrick as Barcelona clinched a 25th Liga title yesterday after winning 42 at Deportivo La Coruna despite throwing away a twogoal lead in a thrilling game which also confirmed Depor’s relegation.
The victory gave Barca a seventh Liga title in 10 years. It completed a fourth domestic double in that same period after beating Sevilla 50 in the King’s Cup final last week. — Reuters