Oh brother, Paul hates to be beaten
Wake-up call fine by Cahill
looked grim for beleaguered side.
Ibe was causing City the greatest danger with bursts down the right, with Fernandinho far from certain in an unfamiliar left-back role.
But Bournemouth were unable to profit from his energy and trickery.
The City fans certainly showed that they still love Aguero, singing his name loudly Howe’s as the chill wind, whipping in off the English Channel, swept around the Vitality Stadium.
For the Cherries, without Wilshere in their midfield, there was simply not enough creativity.
Only carelessness by City, it seemed, could cost Pep’s men.
For once, City’s normally creaky back line looked solid and organised, John Stones in particular making several good GARY CAHILL says Chelsea can see the finishing line in the Premier League title race but must not lose their focus.
The defender believes that Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Burnley will serve to remind Antonio Conte’s squad that even though they have a commanding lead at the top they will have to work hard to finish as champions.
He said: “We’ve got 13 games left and it’s important that we tick them off one by one with the right results. I think we should be even more focused and even more determined P W D L F A PTS CHELSEA 25 19 3 3 52 18 60 MAN CITY 25 16 4 5 51 29 52 TOTTENHAM 25 14 8 3 46 18 50 ARSENAL 25 15 5 5 54 28 50 LIVERPOOL 25 14 7 4 54 30 49 MAN UTD 25 13 9 3 38 21 48 EVERTON 25 11 8 6 40 27 41 WEST BROM 25 10 7 8 34 31 37 STOKE 25 8 8 9 30 36 32 WEST HAM 25 9 5 11 34 43 32 SOTON 25 8 6 11 28 31 30 BURNLEY 25 9 3 13 27 36 30 WATFORD 25 8 6 11 29 42 30 BOURNEMOUTH 25 7 5 13 35 49 26 SWANSEA 25 7 3 15 31 54 24 MIDDLESBORO 25 4 10 11 19 27 22 LEICESTER 25 5 6 14 24 43 21 HULL 25 5 5 15 22 49 20 C PALACE 25 5 4 16 32 46 19 SUNDERLAND 25 5 4 16 24 46 19 interceptions when the Cherries threatened to break through.
Howe’s men never give up though, and when Benik Afobe cut inside, Caballero had to react quickly to turn Harry Arter’s shot from the edge of the area around the post.
Then the killer blow. Sterling dribbled to the byline on the left and pulled the ball back and Aguero was quickest to the ball amid a posse of red shirts to force an own-goal from the hapless Mings.
BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): MAN
because we can almost see the finishing line.
“We haven’t got one hand on the trophy yet but we know that every game that goes by, you get closer and closer.
“That should give us even more determination to work so hard in training, to work so hard in games
Booked: CITY (4-1-4-1): Goals:
and achieve what we want to achieve.
“We could have played a lot better at Burnley. Maybe that was a little wake-up for us, where we realise it’s going to be tough to cross the line and there’s plenty more football to be played.”
RICHARD TANNER PAUL POGBA is a bad loser who goes mad if he suffers a defeat.
Who says so? His elder brother Florentin.
But Florentin will have no fears about fouling his superstar sibling when they meet in a competitive game for the first time in their pro careers when Manchester United face Saint-Etienne at Old Trafford in the Europa League round of 32 on Thursday.
They were talking on the phone as the draw was about to be made in December – and predicted they would be paired with each other.
“We had a laugh and said ‘The day has come: we’re going to face each other in a big stadium, rather than on our neighbourhood mini-pitch’,” he said. “When we play together on holiday, we’re always on the same team. Now I’ll be playing against him and marking him. It will be weird but that is football. It is something for the whole family to enjoy because I don’t know if it will happen again.
“My parents will have mixed feelings because whatever happens there will be one winner and one loser.
“However, there are two winners really because this game will be an unforgettable occasion. Who will my twin brother Mathias support? He will support his brothers.”
Defender Florentin says that while Paul – three years his junior at 23 – can handle the pressure of being the world’s most expensive footballer, he cannot cope so well with losing.
He said: “In terms of being the world’s most expensive player, I think he has put that to one side because it’s more an issue for the media. He can handle all of that because of the mental strength he has had since his youth.
“He is quite irritable though, he doesn’t like to lose. His head starts buzzing. I learned to lose and I would say to him that you’re not losing but learning. But for him, when he loses, he goes mad.
“We’re both determined players. If he’s on a run and I have to tackle him, I’ll tackle him. I won’t knock him out but if I have to foul him I will do it.
“These two games will be emotional and I hope we’ll take something positive from them. Even if United are a great club, anything is possible in football. The fact they are better than us on paper does not matter.”
Florentin, whose twin brother Mathias plays for Sparta Rotterdam, says Old Trafford will be a far cry from the artificial pitch where the three of them played as kids in the Parisian suburb of Roissy-en-Brie.
“We’d always meet up with friends after school and play on our local artificial pitch until we were 15 or 16,” he said, speaking to UEFA.com. “That’s where we took our first steps in football. Paul enjoyed going in goal as a bit of joke.
“We were separated in 2007 when my twin and I left for Spain to join Celta Vigo and Paul went to Le Havre.
“We only moved apart in terms of distance, we message each other every day.
“I’ve known how good he is since he was very young but for him to be in the first team at such a big club is amazing. We’re so proud of him.”