Manchester City’s victory over Sheffield United on Saturday, with a score of 2-0, has brought them closer to the Premier League leaders, Liverpool. Rodri and Julián Álvarez scored the goals that secured the win for City, who controlled 82 per cent of the game’s possession.
Despite their dominance, City only managed a narrow lead by half-time. However, their consistent pressure eventually paid off when Foden assisted Álvarez in scoring the second goal. As soon as that was scored, Liverpool fans hoping for a major shock could switch off, though there was probably little genuine hope there.
This victory marks consecutive league wins for Manchester City since its successful return from the FIFA World Club Cup in Saudi Arabia. The win puts them only two points behind Liverpool, who currently lead the table. Aston Villa is also in contention, equal on points with the Reds but behind on goal difference having played one more game than both Liverpool and Manchester City.
The title race is heating up with only goal difference separating Manchester City and Arsenal in fourth place. Despite this, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager, did not mention Arsenal as a potential threat to their title hopes during his post-match interview.
Instead, he pointed towards Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool as the main competitor. “So tight — we’re not top of the league, Liverpool are better,” Guardiola admitted in his Match of the Day interview (as transcribed by the Daily Mirror). “We’ve had injuries and some problems, we won the titles, important ones, our level is really good I would say and we are there. Now rest, we all need it. January is less intense than November and December so we prepare for what’s next.”
While many agree that Aston Villa may not last through the title race, Arsenal’s omission from Guardiola’s comments will not go unnoticed by their fans. Last season saw Arsenal falter late in the season, which aided City’s third consecutive title win.
Manchester City’s pursuit of a fourth successive title was previously hindered by defensive weaknesses. However, their latest victory marked their first Premier League clean sheet since October 29th. Guardiola acknowledged this achievement and now awaits Arsenal and Liverpool’s response in their upcoming games against Fulham and Newcastle respectively.
