Manchester City put one foot back on the podium by dominating Sheffield United (2-0) without forcing, Saturday, enough to stay in the wheel of Aston Villa, difficult winner of Burnley (3-2), and put pressure on Arsenal , visiting Fulham on Sunday.
Lower in the ranking, Manchester United, 7th, fell again on the field of poorly ranked Nottingham Forest (2-1 defeat), while Chelsea, 10th, were overcome with chills at the end of the match in Luton where the Londoners who counted up to three goals in advance only won 3-2.
. Back to normal for City
Manchester City returned from Saudi Arabia with the Club World Cup in their pocket, but perhaps with legs a little heavier than usual.
Belgian Kevin De Bruyne on the substitutes’ bench during Manchester City’s trip to Sheffield on December 30, 2023. Returning from injury, the Belgian playmaker had not been part of the Citizens group since August 11 / Oli SCARFF / AFP/Archives
The reigning European champion did not shine against the bottom of the championship, Sheffield United, but goals from Rodri (14th) and Julian Alvarez (61st) were enough for his happiness.
The Citizens are third with 40 points, as many as current fourth Arsenal, and two lengths behind co-leaders Liverpool, host of Newcastle on Monday, and Aston Villa. They also retain a major advantage with a late match to play against Brentford.
City was without John Stones, Jérémy Doku and Erling Haaland, all injured, but on Saturday it recovered among its replacements Kevin De Bruyne, its all-round playmaker, reappearing for the first time since his thigh injury suffered on the 11th. august.
. Aston Villa au forceps
The management of Christmas had been thorny for Aston Villa, hung 1-1 by Sheffield then defeated 3-2 by Manchester United. The Birmingham club regained momentum on Saturday by dominating penultimate Burnley (3-2), albeit in pain.
Author of a successful penalty in the 89th minute, Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz gave Aston Villa a 3-2 victory against Burnley on December 30, 2023 / Adrian DENNIS / AFP/Archives
It took a Douglas Luiz penalty converted in the 89th minute with the help of the crossbar to make the difference against a team reduced to ten men before the hour mark.
“Winning at the last moment with a little emotion is sometimes important,” rejoiced Unai Emery.
The coach can also be satisfied with having aligned Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby together, usual competitors on the right wing and both scorers.
The scenario is cruel for Burnley (19th, 11 points), but Vincent Kompany’s team will find comfort in the defeats of its direct competitors for maintenance: Luton (18th, 15 pts) lost against Chelsea and Everton ( 17th, 16 pts), first non-relegation, sank 3-0 at Wolverhampton.
. Manchester United, the relapse
The roller coaster season continues for Manchester United, beaten 2-1 at poorly ranked Nottingham Forest (15th), four days after their great victory against Aston Villa.
The ninth defeat in twenty matches keeps the Red Devils in 7th place, nine points from the podium.
Morgan Gibbs-White (left) and Nicolas Dominguez during Nottingham Forest’s victory against Manchester United (2-1) on December 30, 2023. The Englishman and the Argentinian scored both goals for their team / Darren Staples / AFP/Archives
It was caused by two defensive air holes, into which Nicolas Dominguez (64th) and Morgan Gibbs-White (82nd) rushed.
These errors in the penalty area relegated Marcus Rashford’s newfound offensive efficiency to the background. The English winger, criticized for his insufficient performance, scored his third goal of the season, the first during the game since September 3.
. Chelsea ric-rac
Chelsea led by three goals in the 70th minute at Luton, before collapsing, conceding two goals and two shots on the crossbar, in particular.
“At 3-0, the match seems over but in the Premier League it’s never over,” reacted Mauricio Pochettino. “We need to show better ability to handle this type of situation,” admitted the coach, at the head of a very young squad.
Aged 21, Cole Palmer, author of a double and an assist, was the architect of Chelsea’s victory on the Luton pitch 3-2 on December 30, 2023 / Ben Stansall / AFP/Archives
The dean of the defense, Thiago Silva (39), looked dark at the final whistle, shaking his head in annoyance.
Fortunately for him, the young Cole Palmer, at the age of 21, opened the scoring with a heavy strike, then served Noni Madueke for 2-0 and made a double after a slalom tinged with finesse and composure.
“That’s why they call him ‘Cold Palmer’!” laughed Madueke in a play on words mixing Cole and “cold” (“cold” in English).
The Blues, however, remain stuck in mid-table, with twelve points less than fourth-placed Arsenal.
2023-12-30 19:30:37
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