admin
Manchester. — Erling Haaland was forced off at halftime during Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Sunday to leave the English champions sweating on the Norwegian superstar’s fitness.
City face Arsenal in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash at the Emirates on Wednesday and return to Champions League action against RB Leipzig seven days later.
Haaland appeared to injure his thigh in a collision with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez midway through the first half.
However, he played on till the break and showed no ill effects as his blistering pace helped set up City’s second goal for Ilkay Gundogan.
Haaland did though step aside to allow Riyad Mahrez to convert a penalty late in the half as City went in 3-0 up at the interval.
Manchester City shrugged off the uncertainty caused by a series of Premier League charges to close to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on yesterday.
A cloud is hanging over the English champions after the Premier League hit the club with more than 100 charges alleging breaches of financial rules dating as far back as 2009.
If found guilty, City could face a severe points deduction or even relegation from the top flight.
But City boss Pep Guardiola came out swinging in defence of the club’s hierarchy as he pointed the finger at jealous Premier League rivals for the accusations and his players followed him with a show of defiance on the field.
Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez all struck before halftime at the Etihad to edge ominously into Arsenal’s rear-view mirror ahead of a clash between the two on Wednesday. Arsenal still have a game in hand, but City will now move to the top of the table should they win at the Emirates in midweek.
The Gunners’ 1-1 draw at home to Brentford on Saturday opened the door for City and unlike last weekend, when the defending champions missed the chance to pounce with defeat away to Tottenham, this time they made no mistake.
Guardiola also learned his lesson from an experimental line-up at Spurs.
Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne and Gundogan were restored to the starting line-up and City looked much more like their old selves.
The City support made their feelings known before kick-off as the Premier League anthem was booed and a banner raised saluting the lawyer the club have hired to defend the charges.
Just four minutes in they had something to cheer as Rodri rose highest to power home a header from Mahrez’s corner.
Jack Grealish was in the mood to do some damage against his former club and only a brilliant finger-tip save from Emiliano Martinez denied the England international from finding the top corner.
Meanwhile, Rashford strikes again as Man Utd late show sinks Leeds. Erik ten Hag hailed Marcus Rashford as one of Europe’s best forwards after his late goal inspired Manchester United’s 2-0 win against old rivals Leeds on yesterday.
After Rashford scored to spark United’s comeback from two goals down in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Leeds, he tormented the Yorkshire club once again.
Rashford netted with 10 minutes left at Elland Road to make it four successive Premier League games with a goal for the England forward, who has scored in eight of his last nine appearances in the competition.
Following Alejandro Garnacho’s frustrated reaction to being substituted on Wednesday, the Argentine teenager made amends as he came off the bench to seal United’s hard-fought victory five minutes after Rashford’s goal. Asked if Rashford is among the best in Europe, Ten Hag said: “He’s definitely one of them. He has the skills. I was convinced from the first moment.
“I was really excited to work with him. Yeah, I thought I could get more out of him.
“When he is keeping the investment and keeps the focus in every game and brings the energy and belief, he will keep scoring.”
United’s win was just their second in their last five league games, although they have now lost just once in their last 17 matches in all competitions.
Ten Hag’s side moved up to second place, although Manchester City would go back above them if they beat Aston Villa later on Sunday.
More importantly, United are seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish.
The clash was marred by offensive taunts from the stands, with Leeds fans singing about the 1958 Munich air crash that killed several United players and their rivals in the away end responding by chanting about the deaths of two Leeds fans in Istanbul in 2000.
Both clubs condemned the chants and the Premier League said: “The League is treating the issue of tragedy chanting as a priority and as a matter of urgency.”
Fourth bottom Leeds are without a win in their last nine league games and would drop into the relegation zone if Everton beat Liverpool on Monday.
Since sacking Jesse Marsch on Monday, Leeds have seen their move for Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola blocked by his club, while Feyenoord’s Arne Slot and West Brom’s Carlos Corberan ruled themselves out of contention.
Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear insists the search is “well advanced”, but Michael Skubala was in charge for a second game on a caretaker basis.
BITTER RIVALS
Amid a cacophonous noise at Elland Road, Leeds made a frenzied start, with Crysencio Summerville firing over after a mistake from United left-back Tyrell Malacia.
In keeping with the aggressive tone of one of English football’s bitterest rivalries, there were early bookings for Summerville and Leeds teammate Junior Firpo for a pair of crude fouls.
Bruno Fernandes wasted a golden opportunity when he ran clean through on goal after Max Wober’s mistake, only to shoot straight at Illan Meslier.
After scoring United’s equaliser against Leeds in midweek, Jadon Sancho had been rewarded with his first league start since October, but the England forward was largely anonymous and came off after an hour. — supersport.
Online Reporter