Fleetwood goal flurry is too much for Latics
OLDHAM crashed out of the Leasing.com Trophy last night after a 5-2 defeat to Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium.
Goals from Peter Clarke, Josh Morris, Jack Sowerby, Wes Burns and Jonny Smith had the hosts 4-1 up at half-time, before Paddy Madden and Desire Segbe Azankpo added more after the break.
The hosts took the lead after nine minutes when former Latics defender Clarke rose highest at a corner and headed past goalkeeper Zeus De La Paz.
They grabbed their second just moments later as the ball was worked across goal towards Morris, who was on hand to tap the ball into the net from close range.
Things then went from bad to worse for Oldham, as Sowerby fired across goal and into the bottom corner to put his side three-nil up after 14 minutes.
Latics pulled a goal back midway through the half as Smith received the ball on the left and fired past goalkeeper Alex Cairns from 20 yards out.
Fleetwood added a fourth on the counter five minutes before half-time, as Madden played in Burns who slotted the ball low past De La Paz.
Joey Barton’s side then got their fifth just after the break as the ball was squared across the area to Madden, who tapped in from close range.
Latics got another consolation late on when substitute Segbe Azankpo reacted first to a loose ball in the area and turned to put it past Cairns on 78 minutes.
IT was Christmas last season when City’s title defence stood on the precipice – as it does in November this time around – and they faced a potentially defining few days as Liverpool threatened to disappear out of view.
A one-point gap to Jurgen Klopp’s side had become 10 points in the blink of an eye. As City lost to Crystal Palace and Leicester City either side of Christmas, Liverpool beat Wolves and Newcastle and then, on December 29, they thrashed Arsenal.
A day later the Blues travelled to Southampton to play what had become a game in hand. With Liverpool visiting the Etihad at the start of 2019 it was the moment when the title could have been handed over. It was billed as Liverpool’s moment and City were rocking from their unexpected, uncharacteristic defeats.
When the team sheet landed at St Mary’s there was a surprise from Pep Guardiola. Having started just one of the last 10 Premier League fixtures there was a return for Vincent Kompany. As City’s season threatened to unravel here was the glue to bind it back together again.
When cool heads were needed Kompany provided one, he was a steadying, reassuring presence.
City beat Southampton 3-1. Surprisingly Kompany kept his place to face Liverpool, who were beaten 2-1. The gap was back to four points and the momentum of the challengers had been halted, irreparably as it turned out.
Again Kompany would vanish from view, with injuries playing a part this time. He’d start just two of the next 22 games but as the pressure became almost intolerable he would return for the run-in, starting all of City’s final five Premier League games. Here was the captain of the ship taking over the controls through choppy waters. Kompany started just 13 of 38 Premier League games last season but it’s no exaggeration to say he steered City to the title. It was the club captain they turned to when the campaign threatened to veer off course.
So when the Belgian opted to leave City in the summer and return to Anderlecht, it wasn’t just a great defender that the Blues were losing. It was their security blanket. The failure to replace Kompany has left City short at the back, a problem exacerbated by the injury to Aymeric Laporte, but as much as they’re missing his quality in defence, they’re missing the other attributes he offered just as much. As his selection’s last season showed, Guardiola turned to Kompany when he felt his side needed a little reassurance. When the heat was turned up, there was the 33-year-old to bring a bit of coldeyed steeliness to the situation.
There are plenty of other leaders in City’s squad, but none of them lead in quite the same was as Kompany did. David Silva and Fernandinho have most regularly captained City this season but neither seem to offer the same level of comfort as the former skipper. Silva – and Sergio Aguero – lead by example rather than deed. Fernandinho, at 34, has plenty of expe