Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool and counting, Premier League defending champions Manchester City have been off-the-pace across all competitions this season and their slump in form has been worsened by the long-term absence of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. As such, they’re open to acquiring midfield acquisitions next month and beyond, with several lucrative names being linked. Continue reading “Missing Rodri and out-of-sorts, City linked with Wirtz, Guimaraes and Zubimendi”
Manchester City were tired, leggy and emotionally drained after penalty heartbreak in Madrid three days earlier as their Champions League defence ended, but survived a series of promising goalscoring chances before Bernardo Silva’s 84th-minute winner secured a hard-fought win over Chelsea, punching their ticket back into the FA Cup final for a third time in the last six seasons. Continue reading “Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: Silva’s late strike sends Citizens back to FA Cup final”
Kevin de Bruyne scored the first and assisted two more as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City extended their English club-record winning streak to nine in Champions League competition, emerging from their Denmark trip with a comfortable two-goal cushion for next month’s last-16 return leg at Eastlands. Continue reading “Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City: Decisive de Bruyne inspires comfy first-leg cushion”
An injury doubt only deemed fit enough to play 45 minutes this evening, Gabriel Martinelli picked precisely the right time to score his first goal of the campaign as the Brazilian’s deflected strike deceived Ederson, delivering Arsenal a smash-and-grab home win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to send them joint-top with north London rivals Tottenham after eight games.
Continue reading “We know our potential, Martinelli says after deflected late winner against City”
Kevin de Bruyne’s hamstring surgery and subsequent recovery means City are without their creator-in-chief until the new year, so the Premier League champions are intensifying efforts to bolster the midfield before next Thursday’s transfer deadline – two English-based players are on their radar. Continue reading “City target Wolves midfielder Nunes and Palace’s Eze as Lucas Paqueta alternatives”
Two seasons and 742 days after being an unused substitute, watching from the dugout in Porto as his teammates were sucker punched by a savvy Chelsea side in their maiden Champions League Final, Rodri secured their treble-winning season with a second-half winner as Manchester City at long last seized the one trophy that has eluded their grasp against a wasteful Inter showing in Istanbul. Continue reading “Manchester City 1-0 Inter: Rodri’s strike secures Champions League glory, at last”
Premier League champions Manchester City banished their demons from twelve months ago, avenging a painful collapse against Real Madrid with a 4-0 (5-1 aggregate) win over the Champions League holders on Wednesday, earning a date with Serie A giants Inter Milan for the Istanbul final on June 10. Five games in 20 days across three competitions between now and then, what’s next?
Continue reading “Istanbul bound: City composed in 4-0 Real rout, as a pivotal three weeks now beckon”
In a tense Champions League semi-final first leg encounter headlined by two excellent strikes from distance, Kevin de Bruyne’s emphatic equaliser midway through the second-half saw Manchester City restore parity vs. defending champions Real Madrid during their nailbiting affair at the Bernabeu tonight. Continue reading “Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City: de Bruyne keeps semi-final tie finely poised”
Individual mistakes from Gunners defensive duo Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Magalhaes during both halves helped reigning champions Manchester City rally from a tetchy start to return top of the Premier League, earning a hard-fought 3-1 away win over long-running leaders Arsenal in north London. Erling Haaland ended his three-match goalscoring drought to wrap up the points, combining with – who else – Kevin de Bruyne. Continue reading “Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City: Individual mistakes cost profligate Gunners as Citizens return top”
The pre-match noise surrounded Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s benching by Fernando Santos. Within 20 minutes, the man who replaced him – Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos – scored a thunderous opener and later completed the tournament’s first hat-trick as they thrashed Switzerland without their historical talisman. Up next? Spain’s slayers Morocco on Saturday.
Continue reading “Portugal 6-1 Switzerland: Ramos’ hat-trick justifies Santos’ selection in statement thrashing”
Despite Manchester City’s initial dominance in the early exchanges, this game lived up to the billing: contentious officiating, big moments, goals aplenty before a goal-saving block in a second-half frenzy – finely poised and still could’ve swung either way until the final whistle. Continue reading “Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City: de Bruyne douses Reds’ hearts in thrilling second-half”
Arsenal face an unpredictable trip to Manchester this weekend, when they’ll be greeted by a motivated but injury-ridden Manchester City side on Saturday evening. Pep Guardiola’s men have had a fortnight to stew over their frenetic 1-1 away draw against Leeds – two more dropped points – and target an emphatic response in tomorrow’s televised evening clash. Continue reading “Manchester City vs Arsenal Preview: Citizens target statement win at Arteta’s expense”
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