Bubbly still on ice after Man City loss

LONDON: Hundreds of Manchester City fans gathered outside Etihad Stadium for an English Premier League title celebration that proved premature as Chelsea ruined the script with a lastminute 21 victory yesterday.

City manager Pep Guardiola left out a host of firstteam regulars for a game regarded as a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final and paid the price as he was made to wait a little longer to seal his third title in four seasons.

Raheem Sterling gave City the lead in the 44th minute and Sergio Aguero had the chance to double it before halftime but his attempted Panenka penalty misfired and Edouard Mendy made a simple catch.

Chelsea, which also made changes to the side that beat Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final, drew level through a low drive from Hakim Ziyech in the 63rd minute.

It then stunned City when Marcos Alonso’s scuffed shot floated past Ederson.

It left City on 80 points with three games left, 13 ahead of Manchester United which has five to play.

As well as delaying City’s title lap of honour and putting down a psychological marker for the Champions League final, Thomas Tuchel’s side took a massive leap towards securing a topfour finish as it moved into third spot above Leicester City.

Chelsea has 64 points, a point more than Leicester, and six ahead of fifthplaced West Ham United.

With Chelsea looking secure in the top four, the final Champions League place looks to be a threeway fight among Leicester, West Ham United and Liverpool.

Leicester’s defeat by

Newcastle on Saturday left the door ajar for the teams below it and Liverpool took advantage with a 20 win over Southampton thanks to goals by Sadio Mane and Thiago. It moved up to sixth on 57 points, six behind Leicester which faces a tough runin.

‘‘We will have pressure for as long as we win as that means we have something to fight for. If not, we don’t,’’ Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose side faces Manchester United in a rearranged game on Friday, said.

Tottenham Hotspur’s slim hopes of finishing in the top four now look nonexistent after it slumped to a 31 defeat at Leeds United, leaving it in seventh

Crystal Palace beat relegated Sheffield United 20.