PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 4, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 OLDHAM Athletic never recovered from a nightmare opening as they suffered a heavy loss at Plymouth Argyle in Sky Bet League One. Two down inside six minutes, there was no way back for Latics against the fast-improving Pilgrims who moved out of the relegation places. This was not the […]
Match Report
Manchester City make it 100 Premier League goals in calendar year after big home win against AFC Bournemouth
MAN CITY 4, AFC BOURNEMOUTH 0
It is a measure of table-topping Manchester City’s supremacy in the Premier League that they beat AFC Bournemouth with ease, despite playing nowhere near their best.
Yet it was another day of records as City became the first team in the Premier League era to score 100 goals in a calendar year as they moved 14 points clear of second-placed United.
City also made it 17 straight Premier League wins in a row to match Inter Milan who had the second best record in Europe’s top five leagues.
Sergio Aguero also scored his 100th goal for City at the Etihad.
Korey Smith strike stuns Manchester United as Bristol City reach Carabao Cup semi finals with a tie against Manchester City to come
BRISTOL CITY 2, MANCHESTER UNITED 1
Manager Lee Johnson raced down the touchline at the end of this contest at Ashton Gate, celebrating a timeless Korey Smith winner as his Bristol City beat a very strong Manchester United side in the Carabao Cup.
Local boy Joe Bryan had given City the lead in the 51st minute only for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to level matters just seven minutes later. United tried hard to find a winner but were stunned by an injury time strike by Smith with the game seconds away from extra time.
Holders United were the fourth Premier League scalp of the season for the Robins after they beat Watford, Stoke City and Crystal Palace in the earlier rounds to reach the quarter finals.
With fans all over the pitch after the final whistle and jubilation all round after Bristol City recorded their first win over United since 1978 in their first meeting since 1980 it was the kind of celebration that wouldn’t go down well with Reds boss Jose Mourinho.
Claudio Bravo the penalty hero again as Manchester City see off Leicester City in the Carabao Cup
LEICESTER CITY 1, MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Manchester City win 4-3 on penalties)
Manchester City made it into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after winning a penalty shoot-out at Leicester City with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo once again the hero.
Bravo sprinted over to the Man City fans to celebrate after saving Riyad Mahrez’ penalty in the shoot-out at the end of another 120 minute drama to keep the Blues in the hunt for trophies on four fronts.
City had been denied in normal time after Jamie Vardy’s spot kick in the seventh minute of eight added minutes at the end of normal time after Kyle Walker had been penalised for a soft foul on Demarai Gray.
All three senior Foxes players had been left out of the starting line-up and Leicester failed to punish a weakened City side in Extra Time with them on the pitch.
City academy product Lukas Nmecha kept his nerve to score one of the shoot-out penalties but Vardy went on to hit his shoot-out spot kick against the post before Mahrez was denied by the Chilean keeper to spark another celebration for the travelling fans.
United lose Antonio Valencia to injury during battling win at West Brom
WEST BROM 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Manchester United won a battling encounter at the Hawthorns to beat West Brom 2-1 and close the gap to title rivals Manchester City back to 11 points but lost captain Antonio Valencia to injury.
Two quick first half goals by Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard saw the Reds race into the lead but they couldn’t despatch the Baggies who threatened to undo United’s first half work by pulling a goal back through Gareth Barry late on.