City beat Wolves for 21st straight win, 15 clear at top
A 15-point lead, 21 victories in a row, a club recordtying 28 games unbeaten. The extraordinary numbers are stacking up for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s winning machine powers to the Premier League title and—whisper it—a potential quadruple.
Guardiola particularly liked what he saw in the 4-1 win over Wolverhampton on Tuesday.
Heading into the final 10 minutes at Etihad Stadium, City’s players were in the unusual position of being held, 1-1, but there was no panic. Instead, they just stepped up a gear, overwhelmed Wolves with their pressing and scored three goals.
“When you have a run of 20 wins, you’re not always going to win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0,” Guardiola said. “So that is why how you recover from difficult situations is what I’m looking for.”
Gabriel Jesus scored in the 80th minute and again from close range with virtually the last kick of the game after Riyad Mahrez had made it 3-1, capping a period of incessant pressure by City after Wolves equalised in the 61st minute through Conor Coady’s header—the visitors’ first touch in City’s box.
Leander Dendoncker had given City the lead for the first time with an own-goal in the 15th.
Another test passed by City in their march to reclaiming the title from Liverpool, with Wolves having proved a tough opponent for City in recent years—winning their meetings home and away last season, for example.
City’s class of 2020-21 is made of sterner stuff this season, though. The team has won every game it has played in all competitions since December 19 and now has 15 victories in a row in the league. Their unbeaten streak stretched to 28 matches— tying a club record also achieved under Guardiola in 2017.
City haven’t trailed for a single minute in any of their last 19 league games.
Ronaldo’s landmark TURIN:
Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus beat Spezia 3-0 on Tuesday to move within three points of secondplaced AC Milan.
The Portuguese guided in his side’s third goal late on after Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa had struck earlier in the second half to put Andrea Pirlo’s side in a commanding position.
Ronaldo, who also hit the post with an effort in the first half, becomes the first player to score at least 20 goals in each of the last 12 seasons in Europe’s top five leagues.
The win leaves Juve third with 49 points from 24 games behind Milan on 52 and leaders Inter with 56, both of whom are in action this week against Udinese and Parma respectively.