The fight for top four in the EPL intensifies
MANCHESTER United ended 2021 on a high note. The Red Devils humbled Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford to keep coach Ralf Rangnick’s unbeaten run intact.
The first-half performance was good, but the hosts were flat in the second half, but Rangnick’s shake-up paid off as Scott McTominay, Cristiano Ronaldo and a Ben Mee own goal sealed the win. Courtesy of Sky Sports, let us take a look at the top EPL battles.
City snatches dramatic win Manchester City extended its lead on the points table after narrowly outclassing Arsenal 2-1. The Gunners had gone down 0-5 at the Etihad Stadium, but Mikel Arteta’s young brigade put up a gutsy performance to take the star-studded City outfit to the wire. Speaking to BBC, Man City manager Pep Guardiola said Arsenal was the better team and described his side’s victory as a massive achievement. City scored in stoppage time to sensationally win at Arsenal. Arsenal took the lead when Bukayo Saka scored his fourth goal in three games. The Gunners remained in control of the match until an incredible five minutes of action after half-time. Bernardo Silva went down in the penalty area under a challenge from Granit Xhaka that was originally waved away by Stuart Attwell, but he overturned his decision on the advice of VAR which led to Riyad Mahrez equalising. It left Guardiola’s men with 34 minutes to break down Arsenal’s defence. Rodri grabbed the late winner. Heartbreak for the Gunners, but joy for City!
Spurs outpace Watford
Antonio Conte continues to weave his magic with Tottenham Hostpurs.
Speaking to BBC, Spurs boss Antonio Conte said his side must improve the quality of their final pass in order to make the most of their chances after they narrowly beat Watford 1-0 with an injury-time winner. Their topfour ambitions received a boost as defender Davinson Sanchez proved an unlikely match-winner deep into stoppage time. The visitors looked like being frustrated for the second match in succession, but Sanchez broke the deadlock in the sixth minute of time added on to send Tottenham Hotspurs fans into a festivity mood.
Hammers back to winning ways Manuel Lanzini scored twice before West Ham survived a late scare in an entertaining and lively clash at Selhurst Park. West Ham moved to within a point of a Champions League place after surviving. Crystal Palace was 3-0 down at half-time, and in the end they almost grabbed a draw, only to lose 3-2 at home. Chelsea fights back at home
The biggest clash of the weekend was played at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and Liverpool are hot pursuits to Manchester City’s title hopes, but both dropped two valuable points, which means that City is fast running away from the rest of the pack.
The fascinating encounter played out saw Liverpool drew with Chelsea 2-2. The Reds stormed into a two-goal lead through two scintillating finishes from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. However, Chelsea squared the match before half-time with a world class goal from Mateo Kovacic and a neat finish from Christian Pulisic. Liverpool mentor Jurgen Klopp missed because of COVID-19, and he was joined by Brazilian duo Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker and Joel Matip. Guardiola’s City leads Chelsea by 10 points and Liverpool by 11 (Liverpool has played one fewer match). Chelsea missed Romelu Lukaku, Andreas Christensen, Timo Werner and Reece James.
Wolves deserved win at Old Trafford Manchester United suffered a shock opening to 2022 as the Wolves threw cold water on their new year hopes with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
It was a disappointing start to the year for Ralf Rangnick as the interim boss’s unbeaten start to his United job came to an abrupt end. The Wolves dominated the shots-ontarget stats, with the Red Devils only managing two all game, and finally won the match in the 82nd minute when a Joao Moutinho blast from the edge of the area beat David De Gea.
Manchester United struggled to cause any danger to the Wolves outfit who deserved the historic win at Old Trafford.
RAJNESH LINGAM is a contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed are his and not necessarily of this newspaper or his employer.