City, Liverpool lose ground as Spurs pull away
MANCHESTER CITY had to come from behind to hold Liverpool 1-1 as both teams lost ground in the Premier League, following victories for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
City, in third place, stayed a point ahead of the Merseysiders with a game in hand thanks to Sergio Aguero’s equalising goal.
Knocked out of the Champions League by Monaco in midweek, City fell behind when full-back Gael Clichy conceded a penalty six minutes after halftime and James Milner scored from the spot against his old club.
Liverpool, who had come into the game more after a slow start, were pegged back 18 minutes later when Aguero, pictured, scored from Kevin de Bruyne’s fine low cross. De Bruyne then hit a post and Adam Lallana missed badly for Liverpool in an exciting finish.
Elsewhere, Manchester United’s upward trajectory since last losing a league game five months ago finally resulted in some tangible progress yesterday when a hardearned 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough carried them to within one win of the top four.
Despite remaining unbeaten since a humbling 4-0 defeat away to Jose Mourinho’s former club Chelsea in October, they had been unable to rise any higher than sixth place.
Success at the Riverside Stadium, however, lifted them above struggling Arsenal into fifth.
As well as the possibility of finishing in the top four, they have a second chance of competing in next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League, for which they are the bookmakers’ favourites.
Upset at having to play three games in seven days, United’s manager had gone as far as predicting that they would “probably lose” at Middlesbrough, but when the mind games stopped and the football began his weakened team did him proud.
“It’s fantastic because we managed in a week to go to the quarter-final of the Europa League, which is an important target for us, and got these three points which keep us in the race for fourth position,” he told BT Sport.
“With injured players, tired players, suspended players, the guys were magnificent.
“We controlled everything until our second goal.”
Mourinho and his coaching staff will now have a rest, even if many of their players will be away on international duty.
United resume at home to West Bromwich Albion on 1 April, which is the first of eight projected fixtures that month, including two Europa League ties against Anderlecht.
Meanwhile, young midfielder Dele Alli’s ability to surprise Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino apparently knows no bounds.
Alli, who enjoyed a stunning maiden season in the league last year, took his goal tally in all competitions this season to 17 yesterday when he rolled home a penalty in Tottenham’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Southampton which maintained their distant chase of leaders Chelsea.
“Dele always surprises you and you can’t guess him,” Pochettino, whose secondplaced side racked up a 10th successive league win at home, told reporters. – Reuters