Six wins for Blues to topple Saints
CITY extended their winning run to 21 games with a 4-1 victory over Wolves on Tuesday night – and will climb the all-time record list if they claim victory in Sunday’s derby.
Only four top-flight teams in Europe have had longer winning runs than City’s sequence.
Ajax held the record for 44 years with 26 until Welsh side The New Saints won 27 in a row in 2016 – a mark recognised by Guinness World Records.
Here we take a look at football’s 20-plus game winning runs ....
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A ROUTINE 2-1 win over Aberystwyth Town did not indicate history in the making but when TNS followed it up by beating Llandudno 5-0 and Rhyl 10-0,
27 – THE NEW SAINTS, 2016
they were firmly up and running. They won their first 21 league games en route to their sixth of eight successive titles, with wins in the Welsh Cup and League Cup and even two as an invited team in Scotland’s Challenge Cup, against Forfar and Livingston, adding to the run.
Back-to-back wins over Cefn Druids saw them equal the record on Boxing Day and break it four days later, scoring 88 goals in the 27 games while conceding only 13.
■ 26 – AJAX, 1971-72
LED by Johan Cruyff at the peak of his powers, they won 30 of 34 Eredivisie games – including every one at home – as they captured the title that had eluded them the previous season. Their winning run, which lasted from October to March, also included two-leg wins over Marseille and
Arsenal on their way to the second of three straight European Cup triumphs.
■ 23 – BAYERN MUNICH, 2020
BUNDESLIGA, Champions League and DFB Pokal glory was secured in swaggering style.
The 8-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals was the standout result, with Schalke also on the receiving end of eight goals. Bayern scored six against Hoffenheim and five against both Eintracht Frankfurt and Fortuna Dusseldorf as well as beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the domestic cup final and PSG 1-0 in the European showpiece.
A shock 4-1 loss to Hoffenheim ended the run – but Bayern responded by winning another 10 in a row.
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REAL scored a remarkable 81 goals in the 22 games, a run kick-started in explosive style by beating Basel 5-1, Deportivo La Coruna 8-2 and Elche 5-1.
Athletic Bilbao, Levante, Rayo Vallecano and Segunda Division B minnows Cornella also conceded fivegoal hauls though the only silverware of the season for Real was the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
22 – REAL MADRID, 2014
UNITED and City are reportedly on the list of Erling Haaland’s ideal next transfer destination.
Despite the striker having only been at Borussia Dortmund for just over 12 months following his move from RB Salzburg, the 20-year-old’s phenomenal form at the German club has already seen him linked with another transfer, especially with concerns over whether Dortmund will qualify for the Champions League next season.
United have long been mooted as a potential destination for Haaland, with the Reds attempting to sign him in January 2020 before he eventually went to Germany.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also has a previous working relationship with the forward from their time together at Molde.
City, meanwhile, could be on the lookout for a striker this summer due to out-of-contract Sergio Aguero’s injury-hit season forcing Pep Guardiola to have to play without a conventional centreforward at times during this campaign.
Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, also previously played for City. Reports in Germany have now claimed both clubs are among six sides the player views as a potential next destination.
SportBild say Haaland is ignoring transfer interest from Chelsea, instead opting to aim for a move to what he considers an established top club. United and City are both listed as potential destinations along with Liverpool.
The Anfield club could well be on the lookout for a striker this summer after Roberto Firmino’s inconsistent form in this campaign.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are two other clubs listed as a potential destination for Haaland, but it remains to be seen whether either of the Spanish giants can afford him due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kylian Mbappe has previously been named as Real Madrid’s transfer priority this summer, with the French superstar having just 18 months left on his contract at PSG.
Speaking to the BBC last month, Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola said there are only 10 clubs in the world that can buy his client, adding: “I don’t think there’s a sports director or trainer in the world who would say