Pep rates record run as his best
Controversial victory a big boost for WBA
LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said overseeing the team’s 20-game winning run in all competitions may be one of the greatest achievements of his glittering career.
Goals from Ruben Dias and John Stones fired City to a 2-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday and moved them 13 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table.
City racked up a record 100 points in their title-winning campaign in 2017-18 and won all four domestic trophies the following season but Guardiola believes their current win streak in a season impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic ranks as one of his finest moments.
“In this period, in this era, with this situation, to be able to do 20, maybe it is one of greatest achievements we have done together in our careers,” Guardiola said.
“That doesn’t mean a title win but this period in time, the toughest period in England, [to have] no one week of rest for three or four months, every three days a game, with the Covid, injury situations. To be on this kind of run — winning, winning, winning — means mental strength.”
Meanwhile West Brom kept their hopes of avoiding the drop alive with a controversial 1-0 win in a match overshadowed by a surreal moment of refereeing by Lee Mason that cost Brighton an equaliser.
Kyle Bartley’s early header gave West Brom the lead before Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck both hit the woodwork either side of half-time from the penalty spot for the visitors.
Brighton did have the ball in the net when Lewis Dunk’s quickly taken free-kick, after Mason had whistled for it to be taken, caught Sam Johnstone napping.
Mason initially did not award the goal before reversing his decision. However, after reviewing the incident on VAR, the goal was ruled out as the referee changed his mind for a second time.
“It’s embarrassing, it’s just a horrendous decision,” said Dunk. “I said to the ref ‘can I take it,’ he blew his whistle and I took it. I don’t think he knew what he was doing.”
In a statement, the Premier League said: “Referee Lee Mason has overturned the goal because the whistle had been blown a second time before the ball had crossed the line.”
Victory for the Baggies hauls Sam Allardyce’s men to within eight points of safety, while Brighton remain 16th.
ARSENAL REKINDLE HOPES
Arsenal revived their hopes of playing in European competition next season after goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe helped them to a 3-1 win at Leicester City yesterday.
The result lifted Arsenal two places up to ninth on 37 points from 26 games while Leicester stayed third on 49 points after suffering a second setback in three days following their Europa League elimination.
Leicester, who exited Europe’s second-tier competition with a 2-0 home defeat by Slavia Prague on Thursday, took a sixth-minute lead against Arsenal as Youri Tielemans cut inside the area from the right flank and fired a low shot into the far corner.
The Gunners equalised in the 39th when Luiz headed a Willian cross into the bottom right corner and Lacazette turned the tide in first-half stoppage time as he drilled in a penalty after a VAR check showed Wilfred Ndidi had handled the ball in the area.
Poor defending cost Leicester again in the 52nd minute as they allowed the visitors to break through the middle before Willian slipped the ball to Pepe and the Ivorian forward tucked it into an empty net from two metres.
Arsenal held on comfortably in the closing stages and missed chances to win by a bigger margin.