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LONDON. — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described the run-up to Christmas as the toughest part of the season and called on his players to continue their winning momentum in what is shaping up to be a three-way English Premiership football title tussle.
Guardiola’s City claimed top spot in the league for the first time this season after a dominant 3-1 victory at Watford on Saturday, with their fifth straight win lifting them to 35 points — one ahead of Liverpool and two in front of Chelsea, who lost 3-2 at West Ham United.
“Today one team dropped points, next week it can be us or Liverpool. Many things can happen,” Guardiola said.
“I’m more than pleased with what the guys have done in this tough period and now comes the toughest one for the amount of games, weather, injuries. We (will) keep going with this rhythm and try to play well.
“The result can be random but consistency is the most important thing to help us be a stable team… There’s many games to come and it’s the toughest part of the season.”
City will take on RB Leipzig in the Champions League group stage tomorrow, kicking off a run of seven games in all competitions culminating on New Year’s Day. City and Liverpool took advantage of Chelsea’s slip-up at West Ham on Saturday to climb above Thomas Tuchel’s men in the three-way race for the English Premier League title.
Defending champions City ended the day on top of the table after a 3-1 stroll at struggling Watford after Liverpool’s last-gasp 1-0 win at Wolves.
Elsewhere, Newcastle won for the first time in the league this season to clamber off the bottom of the table and give new manager Eddie Howe hope they can survive. Chelsea had lost just once in the English Premier League before Saturday’s match at the London Stadium and had conceded just six goals in 14 matches.
The European champions led twice, through a Thiago Silva header and Mason Mount’s spectacular volley, but they were pegged back both times by a penalty from Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen’s strike.
And with three minutes remaining substitute West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku, lurking out on the left wing, swung a speculative effort towards the Chelsea goal, deceiving Edouard Mendy as it arched past the stunned goalkeeper.
“So, was it a cross or was it shot,” Masuaku asked on Twitter. “(Hint: I was as surprised as you).”
Tuchel bemoaned Chelsea’s individual errors and the “freak goal” that led to their defeat.
“We hate to lose, we have to digest it now,” he told the BBC. “It is not a performance to be mad about, but in detail, we need to be better again.
“If we won the game nobody would have given us the title and if we lose it I don’t think anybody else gets it this weekend.”
West Ham, who had already ended Liverpool’s long unbeaten run this season, consolidated their place in the top four but manager David Moyes urged his side to be more consistent.
Liverpool left it until deep into stoppage time to see off tenacious Wolves, with substitute Divock Origi finishing from Mohamed Salah’s pass in the 94th minute.
The visitors dominated possession at Molineux and had 17 shots on goal but Wolves battled hard to keep them at bay before Origi’s late intervention. — AFP.
Online Reporter