Burnley, England – If Victory Above armory opened the door for Manchester City To make a late title charge, they were then only able to lean towards burnley.
a narrow, narrow win 1-0 Burnley were eliminated at Turf Moor on Wednesday and Pep Guardiola’s side remain top table. But only just. They are ahead of Arsenal in terms of goals, after being tied on points and goal difference. There are five games left and that’s the smallest margin.
When? erling holland Scored inside five minutes, it looked like this was one of those nights that could see City’s goal difference increased. But then chances came one after another and Burnley felt emboldened to send their goalkeeper on, Martin DubravkaProceed to stoppage-time corner.
– Arsenal and Man City’s remaining Premier League matches
– If the Premier League created an NFL-style draft, what would it look like?
– Arsenal are still favorites for the Premier League title and here’s why
For a moment, the away fans who had traveled 20 miles from Manchester held their breath. It was that kind of night.
“Winning is the main goal,” Guardiola said. “Considering the last three days and the emotion and physicality in the game we played [against Arsenal]We made an extraordinary game.
“We could have scored more goals with the chances we created, but the important thing is to win every game. In five games Premier League For both teams and we’ll see what happens.”
It started very well. If Arsenal fans were expecting an assist from Burnley, those watching on TV saw an early goal gifted to their title rivals.
It was already too late Ryan Cherky To hit the crossbar. And when the forwards received a hopeful ball deep in City’s half jeremy dokuThe Belgian winger had the simple task of sliding his pass to Haaland to finish on Dubravka.
This led to the first chants of “We’re top of the league” from the fans sitting behind. Gianluigi DonnarummaThe goal of.
But by 70 minutes the atmosphere of the party turned into despair. antony semenyo It’s over. Holland hits the post. SavinhoDubravka saved a shot as a substitute. With five minutes left, Guardiola collapsed on the bench, shaking his head. and that was before Nico O’Reilly Missed a golden opportunity in the last minute. City finished the night with 28 shots and an xG of 3.5.
“We had chances,” Guardiola said. “We have to win the game, but [chances] Were clear, clear, clear.
“We had no ‘umph’ in the last part of the shots. Sometimes it’s fatigue. I had the feeling that if we score 2-0, it will be more comfortable and we can be more composed in the final third.”
At the final whistle at the Etihad on Sunday, Declan Rice Caught on camera uttering the words “It didn’t happen”. And if City continue this splurge, despite slipping from top spot for the first time in 200 days, he may be right. Guardiola needs no reminding that the run-in is already complicated.
playing with the city southampton In fa cup Semifinals on Saturday and then wait nine more days before facing everton Arsenal will play twice before Guardiola’s side get the chance to put more points on the board in the Premier League.
It means that by the time they line up at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on May 4, Arsenal could be six points ahead. The city’s issues do not end here. They missed watching the league games at the weekend Carabao Cup final-against crystal Palace At home – still not rearranged.
And if they beat Southampton and reach a fourth consecutive FA Cup final, they will not be able to play bournemouth Even away on 17th May.
Palace game dates have been limited due to his continued involvement uefa conference leagueThis leaves City with the possibility of midweek games in the final two weeks of the season.
Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium – This will be Andoni Irola’s last home game in charge –The few days before finals weekend are feeling especially tough. Bournemouth have lost only twice in Vitality this season and are on an unbeaten run until January.
Of course, Arsenal have their own distractions to overcome with the two-footed player uefa champions league against semi final Atletico Madridon either side of fulhamVisit to the Emirates on 2 May.
There is still a long way to go.
Guardiola is hoping to give his players an edge by making changes at Wembley on Sunday, although he admits there will be a lot of rotation against the Southampton team. championship There is a risk with the domestic treble on the line. However, fatigue is becoming an issue.
“Now we have to think about it a lot because I had a lot of doubts about the lineup today because of the fatigue from Sunday,” the City boss said.
“Now it will be three in a row, and in three days, going to London. I know if we win it will be a good decision and if we lose it will be a bad decision. I have to think about it.”
If nothing else, the FA Cup semi-finals will give Guardiola and his players a weekend off from the pressure of a tight title race. It depends on Arsenal who plays newcastle united At the same time at the Emirates, to prove that they can move forward.
City were not able to make any statement against Burnley. Instead, they simply moved on. In the final stage, the door is open for any team to advance and clinch the trophy.
