Kylian Mbappé scored two and assisted one more as France rallied to prevail over Argentina in a seven-goal thriller to kick off the knockout stage in style. Argentina, who needed a Marcos Rojo late winner just to qualify for the last-16, have been eliminated. Continue reading
Goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva helped secure Pep Guardiola’s first piece of silverware as Manchester City manager – but how did the players fare at Wembley?
Goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva helped secure Pep Guardiola’s first piece of silverware with a dominant display over Arsenal to win this year’s Carabao Cup. The Gunners – who struggled for large periods – seemed to almost relinquish their self-belief after conceding the second.
Plenty of questions will be asked in the aftermath, as the Citizens aim to use this momentum in their quest for the elusive treble while Arsenal disappoint across all fronts as their rivals continue to strengthen. Continue reading
Goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus sealed an important home victory for Premier League leaders Manchester City before the international break, despite Arsenal’s best efforts at the Ethiad. Alexandre Lacazette halved the deficit midway through the second-half but a handful of contentious officiating decisions hurt the visitors’ hopes of a good result. Continue reading
As a result, Manuel Pellegrini‘s men climb a place into third – with Arsenal set to face Crystal Palace in tomorrow afternoon’s clash from the Emirates. For a side that has struggled with consistency and faltered upon multiple occasions already this season, the sky Blues’ progression into the Champions League semi-finals has certainly rejuvenated the first-team squad: there is clear harmony between players and they’ve all been linking up together well in recent weeks.
Ahead of kick-off, this fixture was billed as a mismatch. In all honesty, it really was. In spite of Manchester City’s troubling inconsistency in the league this term, they’re still in with a shout of winning the Premier League crown come May. Saturday’s vistors, Aston Villa, have the unenvious task of trying to remain in the top flight. Nine points from safety, having only won three league games all season, things look bleak from Remi Garde’s perspective.
So they made the trip to the blue half of Manchester, not expecting much. At the half-time interval, they would’ve been quietly surprised that they were still in with a chance of getting an encouraging result out of the game.
They’ll face Jürgen Klopp‘s Liverpool side after they scraped through on penalties against an unfortunate Stoke team, on Sunday the 28th of February.
It was not all plain sailing for Wednesday’s hosts, though. Ross Barkley broke the deadlock after 18 minutes, striking from distance after driving through midfield on a marauding run forward. It was all too easy for the Evertonian, who took advantage of some sloppy defensive positioning to waltz into space and fire past a helpless Willy Caballero with the home supporters collectively shaking their heads.
Sergio Agüero sealed a hard-fought point for Manchester City in their final visit to West Ham‘s Upton Park – in the dying embers of the fixture. The talented Argentine, who has been plagued with frequent injuries in recent months, has now scored six goals and created three assists in all competitions since the start of 2016, as he gradually returns to full match fitness.
After their 2-1 away victory at the Ethiad, Slaven Bilic‘s side were equally bullish about their chances of another win in this meeting too.
Enner Valencia broke the deadlock within a minute – after a driving run forward into the area by Cheikhou Kouyate, brushing past Yaya Touré as though the powerful Ivorian was not even there.
Manchester City maintained pace with their title rivals, whilst proving their doubters wrong in the process, as they sealed a dramatic comeback courtesy of two moments of individual brilliance in the final minutes at Vicarage Road.
Travelling away against a tough Watford side, it was never going to be an easy game for Manuel Pellegrini‘s side. He opted against any alterations to his starting line-up before kick-off, but the Hornets could have easily held a two-goal cushion inside the early exchanges. Buoyed by an energetic home crowd, Quique Sánchez Flores‘ men were playing with both confidence and quality – but were unable to convert their opportunities as the game continued.
