City made to wait for title by Chelsea; Reds win
Chelsea stun leaders Man City with a late winner to delay their victory party as Liverpool beat Saints
LONDON: Hundreds of Manchester City fans gathered outside the Etihand Stadium for a Premier League title celebration that proved premature as Chelsea ruined the script with a last-minute 2-1 victory on Saturday.
City manager Pep Guardiola left out a host of first-team regulars for a game regarded as a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final and paid the price as he was made to wait a little longer to seal his third title in four seasons.
Raheem Sterling gave City the lead in the 44th minute and Sergio Aguero had the chance to double their lead before halftime but his attempted Panenka penalty misfired and Edouard Mendy made a simple catch.
Chelsea, who also made changes to the side that beat Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final, drew level through a low drive from Hakim Ziyech in the 63rd minute.
They then stunned City when Marcos Alonso’s scuffed shot floated past Ederson.
It left City on 80 points with three games left, 13 ahead of Manchester United who were preparing to play Aston Villa on Sunday. As well as delaying City’s title lap of honour and putting down a psychological marker for the Champions League final, Thomas Tuchel’s side took a massive leap towards securing a top-four finish as they moved into third spot above Leicester City. Chelsea have 64 points, a point more than Leicester, and six ahead of fifth-placed West Ham United.
“We are sad because we lose— we wanted to close the Premier League today—but we have to be focused,” Guardiola, whose side beat Paris St Germain in midweek to set up a clash with Chelsea in Istanbul, said. “Football is unpredictable and we have to focus on the game at Newcastle.”
It has been quite a week for Tuchel, who described it as a “huge win” after Wednesday’s exploits against Real Madrid.
“That had a huge impact mentally so that was a fantastic reaction from the boys,” he said.
With Chelsea looking secure in the top four, the final Champions League place looks to be a three-way fight between Leicester, West Ham United and Liverpool.
Leicester’s Friday night defeat by Newcastle left the door ajar for the teams below them and Liverpool took advantage with a 2-0 win over Southampton thanks to goals by Sadio Mane and Thiago. They moved up to sixth place with 57 points, six behind Leicester who face a tough run-in.
“We will have pressure for as long as we win as that means we have something to fight for. If not, we don’t,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said.
Bayern celebrate title with thumping win
MUNICH: Bayern Munich celebrated their record-extending ninth consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday with a 6-0 demolition of Borussia Moenchengladbach and a hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski, who edged closer to a 49-year-old scoring record.
The champions had sealed the title before kickoff following RB Leipzig’s 3-2 defeat at Borussia Dortmund earlier on Saturday.
Lewandowski, who now has 39 goals, one shy of Gerd Mueller’s imposing record of 40 league goals in one Bundesliga season dating back to 1971/72, needed only two minutes to open his account with a shot from a tight angle. Thomas Mueller, who along with David Alaba becomes the first player in
Bundesliga history to win 10 league titles, stabbed in their second in the 23rd before a sensational flying Lewandowski volley 11 minutes later. With Gladbach in the role of mere observers, Lewandowski then set up Kingsley Coman, who wrapped up a quick break with a powerful shot a minute from halftime.
Lewandowski sent keeper Yann Sommer the wrong way to convert a 66th minute penalty for his hat-trick and a clear shot at Mueller’s record with two games left. “I always step on the gas and give it all for the team,” Lewandowski said. “I can only be thankful for all the assists I am getting from my team mates.”