ONE MORE VIN
Stupendous Kompany strike puts City on brink of title
VINCENT KOMPANY scored a stunning goal against Leicester last night to leave Manchester City just one win away from the Premier League title.
The City captain said he ignored shouts of ‘don’t shoot’ to produce one of the goals of the season, meaning City will be champions if they win at Brighton on Sunday. ‘I’ve not come this far for young players to tell me if I can shoot
or not,’ quipped Kompany. ‘Today was a little bit of frustration, because everyone was saying, “Don’t shoot” and it was really annoying. ‘I show desire, belief. I hadn’t scored this season but for me I always feel in big moments I’m going to do something.’ City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he too was also shouting for Kompany to pass rather than let fly as City chased a goal on what had been a tough night. Kompany’s stunner was their 100th home goal this season. ‘I said, “Don’t shoot, Vinny. Don’t shoot,” said Guardiola. ‘He was smart to not follow my thoughts! An incredible goal, incredible.’ The City manager could not confirm whether Kompany, who was emotional at the finish, will remain at the club beyond his current contract. ‘At the end of the season we are going to see,’ the Catalan added. ‘He’s an incredible human being. He helped me a lot when I came here. This club is what it is because of players like Vincent. We’ll talk at the end of the season. ‘There are important players in this club. There are not a lot of titles but he is one of those who helped us be who we are. He’s been here 10 years. ‘Unfortunately sometimes he is injured — the goal is awesome but he defends like a real defender. He’s beloved. He leads us.’ The outpouring of emotion by Guardiola when City won a late throw-in to slow the game down showed how tense the fixture was. ‘Liverpool are playing without pressure because it’s not in their hands,’ he said. ‘We have the pressure because it’s in our hands. ‘One game left and we’ll try. It is now 95 points and we need one more victory. We’ll go to Brighton trying. I don’t have to say anything to the players.’