Pogba puts City’s party on hold as United pull off stunning comeback
The title celebrations were on and then they were off again.
Paul Pogba popped the party balloons and Chris Smalling ripped the banners into little pieces.
Now City can’t even be sure of being crowned Champions if they win at Tottenham next Saturday.
If United beat West Brom the following day they’ll have to wait again.
The man Pep Guardiola said was offered to City in the January transfer window scored twice in a minute to keep the trophy inscribers waiting.
Then the centre back Gareth Southgate doesn’t think is good enough for England rammed in the winner with an excellent volley.
Yet it seemed the horrors of Anfield would be forgotten as City dismantled rivals United in the first half despite fielding a team shorn of stars rested for the Champions League second leg.
City were cruising with a twogoal lead through Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan that could have been four or five.
But their wastefulness in front of goal was punished by Pogba and then by Smalling.
Yet it still took a sensational late David de Gea save to deny City the share of the points they unquestionably deserved.
City have more chances to win the league, was the narrative. They only have a slim one to overturn Liverpool’s 3-0 lead in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final.
So with Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker were all on the bench and no striker in the team, Guardiola’s priorities were apparently clear.
United survived an early penalty appeal when David Silva crossed from the left, Ashley Young slipped and the ball struck his hand while it was on the floor.
Martin Atkinson’s deemed it accidental, but had he given it the visitors couldn’t have complained.
David Silva fired wide after good work by Raheem Sterling, who’d taken over false nine duties.
Sterling then slipped Bernardo Silva in, but David de Gea blocked a weak effort with his shin.
But the title celebrations were suddenly re-scheduled in the 25th minute when Leroy Sane swung over a left wing corner and despite Smalling’s shirt tug Kompany powered in the most unstoppable of unstoppable headers.
Five minutes later, De Gea’s clearance went straight to Sane, Gundogan played a one-two with Sterling and spun inside the box before firing into bottom corner.
Sterling then had two absolutely gilt-edged chances to put the game beyond doubt.
In the 33rd minute, David Silva put him through and he skied the shot.
Three minutes later he had another chance, again with Silva the supplier, and again he fired over when he should have scored.
It was Gundogan’s turn next, directing a header straight into de Gea’s midriff when he had the whole goal to aim at.
How expensive would that trio of misses would prove to be? Very, as it turned out.
Guardiola was apoplectic at the wastefulness while Mourinho’s demeanour was one of stunned bemusement at the ease City, with no strikers, were penetrating his defence. Two down at half time and it was no exaggeration to say it could have been five.
Mourinho had to do something at the break or his record of just one victory over Guardiola in seven League meetings at United and Real Madrid would be extended.
There was another miss from Gundogan six minutes after the break.
Almost immediately Pogba punished City’s carelessness with a close-range finish after Nemanja Matic chested Alexis Sanchez’s floated pass into his path.
A minute later the French midfielder did it again, this time with a glancing header from a Matic pass into the corner beyond the reach of Ederson.
Jesse Lingard fired a shot just wide and all City’s previous control was in danger of slipping away.
It swung away from them completely in the 69th minute when Smalling volleyed in a Sanchez free kick after getting away from City’s statue-like defenders.
Guardiola sent on Aguero, De Bruyne and Jesus and immediately Aguero was left writhing on the ground and screaming for a penalty after a reckless challenge from Young.
It wouldn’t be a United victory without a miraculous de Gea save and this one came in the 89th minute from Aguero’s header from Sane’s cross.
He twisted his body acrobatically to tip the ball over the bar – then got lucky from the corner when Sterling forced the ball against the foot of a post and his leg deflected it wide instead of over the line.