Manchester Football

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Pep Guardiola hits out at chaotic festive schedule after Manchester City’s home win against Watford

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MAN CITY 3, WATFORD 1

Goodness knows what the score might have been had Manchester City not taken their foot off the accelerator early in the game against Watford at the Etihad.

City could conceivably have been 4-0 ahead inside 17 minutes – they were two up – following a whirlwind opening in which they swept aside the visitors.

It was as though City were only playing in first or second gear for the remainder of the game as there was no way back for Watford.

In the end they triumphed with goals from Raheem Sterling, Christian Kabasele’s own goal and Sergio Aguero.

Captain Pogba drives Manchester United to first league win in four games at rainswept Everton

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EVERTON 0, MANCHESTER UNITED  2

Paul Pogba put in a captain’s performance in the second half as Manchester United dug deep and fired two goals by Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard past a stubborn Everton side in their first fixture of 2018 at Goodison Park – their first Premier League win in four games.

Pogba captained United with Ashley Young suspended after accepting a FA violent conduct charge for elbowing Dusan Tadic during the Southampton game. Marcus Rashford, who Mourinho claimed was tired after the game against the Saints, was on the bench as Anthony Martial led the line for the Reds.

Everton’s eight match unbeaten run had come to an end at Bournemouth last Saturday when they lost 2-1 to a late Ryan Fraser winner but Manchester United had only won once in their last five visits to Goodison Park, a 3-0 win two seasons ago under previous Reds boss Louis Van Gaal. Wayne Rooney had played the second half in the Bournemouth game after a spell out of the side with illness.

Two of the goalscorers the last time United beat Everton at Goodison Park are now on Everton’s books – Rooney and Morgan Schneiderlin, while Ander Herrera had been out of favour recently but returned to the starting lineup as part of three changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Southampton – Marcos Rojo, Herrera, and Anthony Martial came in for suspended Young, injured Romelu Lukaku, and out-of-sorts Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Everton made seven changes.

Manchester City’s winning run comes to an end at Crystal Palace as Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne are stretchered off

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CRYSTAL PALACE 0, MANCHESTER CITY 0

There was late drama at Selhurst Park as Luka Milivojevic’s injury time penalty was saved by Ederson in one of the most eventful goalless matches at Crystal Palace as Manchester City’s 18 game winning run came to an end in South London.

Unlike many teams coming up against City, Crystal Palace had a real go and made a game of it at Selhurst Park but City, who lost Gabriel Jesus to a serious looking knee injury early on and Kevin De Bruyne in injury time, could not find a way past their hosts who – in contrast with other teams facing City recently – played a full part in an absorbing game against Pep Guardiola’s team in the first half.

City had hit the woodwork through Sergio Aguero and were denied by last ditch defending and Wayne Hennessey saves while Palace could have snatched a late goal from eight yards in the second half before the injury time drama.

City ended the year on 59 points having dropped their first Premier League points on the road this season, 14 ahead of nearest rivals Chelsea, but will worry about the fitness of Jesus and De Bruyne with a full set of January fixtures ahead.