The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Man City

  • Man City agree deal with Wolves for Nunes

    Man City agree deal with Wolves for Nunes

    Man City have reached a verbal agreement with Wolves over a £47.3m deal to sign midfielder Matheus Nunes.

    The deal for the 25-year-old has not been formally agreed yet but if completed, there will be no add-ons.

    City had a previous bid for the Portugal international rejected last week, with Wolves believed to be wanting in excess of £60m.

    Nunes has been absent from training recently after making it clear he wants to join Pep Guardiola’s side.

    In addition, Wolves have agreed to sign City’s England Under-21 international Tommy Doyle on loan, with the option of a £4.3m transfer that would include a huge sell-on clause for City.

    These two deals are separate and come after City refused to meet Wolves initial £60m-plus valuation for Nunes.

    Read Also: Chelsea interested in signing Man City forward Palmer

    City wanted to bolster their midfield options even before Kevin de Bruyne suffered the hamstring injury that could keep him out for four months.

    West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta was an option before it emerged the Brazilian, 25, is being investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches.

    Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Blackpool that he expected Nunes to stay at the club beyond Friday’s transfer deadline.

  • EPL: Man City maintain winning streak

    EPL: Man City maintain winning streak

    Manchester City extended their perfect start to the Premier League season as Rodri sealed a dramatic 2-1 win against Sheffield United after Erling Haaland scored once and missed a penalty for the champions yesterday.

    Haaland drove a first half spot-kick against the post before his header put City in front after the break at Bramall Lane.

    City were in danger of squandering the points when Jayden Bogle equalised against the run of play with just five minutes left.

    But Rodri saved City with a blistering strike three minutes later as Pep Guardiola’s side moved to the top of the table after a third successive victory.

    Read Also: Rodri late strike earns dramatic win for Man City

    City’s latest success was achieved without Guardiola, who was watching on television while he recuperates after back surgery in Barcelona.

    The City boss was in constant contact with his assistant Juanma Lillo, who took the reins at Bramall Lane and will also be in charge for the champions’ clash with Fulham on Saturday.

    Guardiola’s rehabilitation will have been aided by the knowledge that City can thrive in his absence.

    Although he achieved it from afar, it was a landmark victory for Guardiola, who now has 200 league wins with City in just 269 games, beating the previous Premier League record of 326 matches to reach that milestone set by Jose Mourinho in 2020.

     “We played really well, especially bearing in mind how difficult games like these are,” Lillo said. “Thirty shots is a lot, but not being able to finish just at the right time made it more difficult.”

    For the first time since 2016, City have opened a season with three consecutive league wins in an ominous statement to their title rivals that last season’s treble triumph has not sated their appetite for success.

     “Mentally this team have had seven years of preparation and they are very impressive,” Lillo said. “It is better to pick up these points but it is still early. It is going to be a really tough battle this season.”

    City should have gone ahead in the 36th minute when Julian Alvarez’s cross was blocked by John Egan’s out-stretched arm.

    But Haaland hammered his penalty against the post. The Norwegian stood with a look of disbelief etched on his face as the ball rebounded to safety.

    It was Haaland’s first penalty miss in the Premier League after scoring his previous seven.

    When Haaland steered another good chance wide from Kyle Walker’s cross, it looked like a day to forget for the striker.

    Haaland was denied again from Mateo Kovacic’s pass, his close-range chip clawed away by Wes Foderingham.

    But Haaland finally rewarded City’s territorial dominance in the 63rd  minute, rising above Jack Robinson at the far post to head his third goal this season from Jack Grealish’s teasing cross.

    City were cruising but Blades substitute Bogle snatched a shock equaliser in the 85th minute.

    Walker was guilty of a needless back heel inside his own area, prolonging a United attack that climaxed with Bogle’s fierce shot deflecting in off Nathan Ake.

    City responded superbly and regained the lead three minutes later when Rodri lashed into the top corner from 12 yards after Walker redeemed himself by winning back possession outside the United area.

  • Rodri late strike earns dramatic win for Man City

    Rodri late strike earns dramatic win for Man City

    Rodri scored a late winner to earn Manchester City victory over battling Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and send the champions top of the Premier League.

    Jayden Bogle thought he had earned the Blades a point with a drilled equaliser after 85 minutes, but Spain midfielder Rodri blasted into the top left corner three minutes later to give City the win.

    Erling Haaland missed a first-half penalty before heading the opener from Jack Grealish’s cross after the break.

    Read Also: Guardiola’s Man City complete treble as Rodri’s goal wins Champions League

    Although he was absent from the touchline, recovering from back surgery, the win was Pep Guardiola’s 200th of his City reign on Premier League duty.

    It also marked the first time City have won the first three games of a campaign since the Spaniard’s first season as manager in 2016-17.

  • Tecno, Man City renew partnership deal

    After a successful three-year relationship, Africa’s most preferred smartphone brand, Tecno, has renewed its strategic partnership with  popular United Kingdom-based Manchester City Football Club.

    The renewal deal was sealed at an event in New Delhi, India. The deal is aimed at leveraging the global fan base of the two brands to ensure top of mind awareness for both parties. It also makes it possible for the brands to work together on many initiatives.

    Following the renewal ceremony last week in India, Tecno visited Nanjing, China for the first game during Man City’s Asia Tour. To crown the occasion, Man City recorded a 4-1 victory against West Ham United in the opening game of the 2019 pre-season tour of Asia.

    VP of TRANSSION Holdings and GM of Tecno, Stephen HA, said: “Tecno feels very honored that our brand will be with City players all through the year’s Asia tour. We believe that our blue spirit will be a winner.”

    Senior Vice President of Partnerships at City Football Group,  Damian Willoughby, said: “Manchester City prides itself on partnering with some of the world’s leading organisations, so we are thrilled to be announcing the renewal of our established partnership with Tecno Mobile. During the past three years, we have collaborated on a number of exciting initiatives that has engaged, connected and entertained our global fanbase.”

    Also, General Manager,Transsion Holdings, the parent company of Tecno, Chidi Okonkwo, said: “We are thrilled at the success of our partnership with Manchester City Football Club. This renewal of our partnership is the start of even greater things to come for the two brands and for Nigerians at large because Tecno is for Nigeria.”

  • Man City beats Brighton to retain EPL title

    Manchester City have retained the Premier League title courtesy of a 4-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on the final matchday of the 2018-19 campaign.

    City entered the clash at the Amex one point clear of second-placed Liverpool, knowing that a victory over the Seagulls would see them become the first side to retain the Premier League title for 10 years.

    Liverpool kept to their end of the bargain by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield to move onto 97 points for the campaign, but City’s success saw them end on 98 points at the conclusion of a stunning title race.

    Brighton entered the match having not beaten City in the league since 1989 – Liverpool were looking for a huge favour from Chris Hughton’s team, but it never looked like a possible outcome despite the home side taking the lead.

    City’s team showed one change from the win over Leicester City on Monday night, with Riyad Mahrez coming in for Phil Foden. Kevin De Bruyne was deemed fit enough for a spot on the bench, but Fernandinho once again missed out due to a knee problem.

    Mahrez’s selection was somewhat of a surprise, particularly with Leroy Sane left on the bench. The latter appeared to frustrate Pep Guardiola with his performance off the bench against Leicester, though, and Mahrez was given the nod down the right as Bernardo Silva dropped back into midfield.

    As for Brighton, Anthony Knockaert and Beram Kayal came into the XI, while it was to be a special match for club captain Bruno, who recently announced that he would be retiring from football this summer.

  • Man City holds off Burnley to move to within two wins of title

    Sergio Aguero struck shortly after the hour mark to earn Manchester City a tense 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon that moves them to within two wins of retaining their Premier League title.

    The Citizens struggled to get going throughout a quiet first half but they stepped things up right from the second-half kickoff, deservedly edging in front through Aguero’s shot that was awarded via goal-line technology.

    City came close to scoring a second through Gabriel Jesus’s shot, stopped on the line by Ben Mee, but it was a nervy finale in Lancashire as they threw on a fifth defender to hold on for all three points.

    Victory for City, their 30th of the season, lifts them a point above Liverpool with games against Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion to come.

    Pep Guardiola made an enforced change from his side’s 2-0 win over Manchester United in midweek, bringing in Leroy Sane for just a second start in seven Premier League matches in place of the injured Fernandinho.

    Sane was responsible for one of the Citizens’ two attempts in the first half, testing Tom Heaton with a weak half-volley from just outside the box.

    The only other effort came via Bernardo Silva, deployed in a deeper midfield position to compensate for Sane’s return, as he cut inside Charlie Taylor but could not get any power behind his near-post shot.

    Burnley were happy to cede possession, ending the first half with 31% of the ball, yet the best chance in the opening 45 minutes fell their way.

    Kyle Walker gave away possession just inside his own half and the hosts worked a three-on-three counter, but Chris Wood could not bring Jeff Hendrick’s through-ball under control and Ederson pounced.

    Five of City’s last nine league matches have been goalless at half time, and within four minutes of the second half they already managed more on-target shots than in the whole of the first period.

    Heaton produced good saves to keep out Aguero and Bernardo’s powerful shots, while Aymeric Laporte aimed his header too close to the England international when picked out by Oleksandr Zinchenko.

    City then had a penalty shout rejected when Ashley Barnes leaned into Bernardo’s shot to block it in front of goal with his arm, which was not seen by the referee Paul Tierney.

    That decision would not prove pivotal, though, as Aguero struck what would prove to be the winner 63 minutes in to make it 20 Premier League goals in five successive campaigns.

    Aguero held off James Tarkowski in the box and just about managed to scramble his shot over the line, despite the best efforts of Matt Lowton under the crossbar – goal-line technology being put to good use to confirm the whole of the ball crossed the whole of the line.

  • Man City faces two-window transfer ban

    Manchester City will be banned from making signings in the next two transfer windows by FIFA for breaking rules related to the protection of youth players and third-party ownership, according to reports.

    The club is already being investigated by the Football Association and Premier League for allegations related to youth transfers and financial fair play rules, with the latter also being looked at by European football’s governing body UEFA. That investigation could result in City being banned from the Champions League.

    A transfer ban for the Premier League champions would come less than a month after Chelsea was also hit with the same sanction for 29 breaches of article 19 of FIFA’s regulations on the transfer and status of players.

    The west London club has already lodged an appeal against that punishment but were told by FIFA last week that the sanction would not be frozen while the case is being reviewed, as Chelsea had hoped.

    FIFA has been investigating City’s international transfers for several years, although the club was cleared of breaking the rules when it signed Benjamin Garre from Velez Sarsfield in 2016 just after the Argentine midfielder’s 16th birthday.

    According to The Sun, FIFA believes City has crossed the line, though, in regards to their relationship with FC Nordsjaelland and the Right To Dream football academy in Ghana that is also owned by the Danish side’s president Tom Vernon.

    Last year, two players from the academy, Sierra Leone’s George Davies and Ghanaian Dominic Oduro, told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that they signed for City and played in youth matches before they turned 18.

    Both have since left City – Davies now plays in Latvia and Oduro in the United States – but FIFA has been investigating their time with the English club.

    And that investigation was broadened later in 2018 when a second Danish newspaper, Politiken, published a story that claimed City had a secret deal with Vernon to have first refusal on the best prospects from Right to Dream.

    If true, that would be a breach of the rules preventing the third-party ownership of players, as City could be argued to have undue influence over another club’s players.

    In regards to international transfers of players aged under 18, they are only allowed in three circumstances: the players’ parents have moved to the new country for non-footballing reasons, they and the club are based close to the relevant national border or the transfer takes place within the European Economic Area and the player is at least 16.

    As well as Chelsea, Spanish trio Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been punished for signing under-age players from abroad in the past.

    Real were able to get their ban reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport – an avenue Chelsea and now perhaps City will also explore.

    Neither Manchester City nor FIFA were available for comment on Thursday night.

  • Man City eases past Huddersfield Town

    Manchester City has closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table back to four points courtesy of a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday night.

    Danilo gave the champions the lead in the first half, but Huddersfield held their own for much of the opening 45 minutes and it was not until the second half that City showed something close to their best.

    Two goals in as many minutes from Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane took the game away from the hosts, though, as Man City responded to Liverpool’s victory over Crystal Palace yesterday with a comfortable triumph of their own.

    Pep Guardiola’s side has now scored 24 goals in five successive wins so far this calendar year, whereas Huddersfield fell to a 16th league defeat of the season in what was their first outing since parting company with manager David Wagner.

    Caretaker Huddersfield boss Mark Hudson made six changes to his side and would have been content with his side’s first-half display, despite never really testing Ederson in the Man City goal.

    The visitors did make an ominous start to the game, though, and Sergio Aguero skewed one effort off target after only three minutes as City looked for an early opener.

    Huddersfield’s main problem all season has been putting the ball in the back of the net, and it was a similar story again this Sunday night with Adama Diakhaby squandering their first half-chance when he directed a stooping header wide.

    City should have had a penalty after 13 minutes when Terence Kongolo clattered in to Sterling inside the box, but despite looking like a stone-waller referee Andre Marriner did not point to the spot.

    Guardiola’s side did take the lead just five minutes later, though, as Danilo’s long-range strike took a big deflection off Christopher Schindler which sent it flying past a helpless Jonas Lossl.

    It was City’s 100th goal across all competitions and Fernandinho almost provided number 101 with an unmarked header from a corner moments later, but City uncharacteristically failed to push on for more goals in an under-par first-half display.

    Elias Kachunga forced a routine stop from Ederson as Huddersfield grew into the game, and Guardiola was visibly annoyed by the lack of intensity in his side’s performance.

    Ilkay Gundogan fired a couple of shots off target towards the end of the first half, but it was not until after the interval that they were able to take the game out of Huddersfield’s reach with a quickfire double.

  • Manchester City end Liverpool’s unbeaten run, cut EPL lead to 4 points

    Leroy Sane struck the winner as Manchester City beat visiting Liverpool 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in a fierce English Premier League contest on Thursday.

    The victory helped the defending champions to inflict the first loss of the 2018/2019 season on Juergen Klopp’s side to cut their lead at the top to four points.

    Sadio Mane hit the post for Liverpool in the 18th minute and from the resulting scramble, John Stones’s attempted clearance bounced off his goalkeeper Ederson.

    The Manchester City defender did superbly to clear off the line with the ball millimetres from going in.

    It was Manchester City who broke through five minutes before the break when Bernardo Silva found Sergio Aguero inside the penalty box.

    The Argentine unleashed a fierce drive, from the tightest of angles, to fire past Alisson and make it 1-0.

    Liverpool responded strongly after the break, though.

    They drew level when Andrew Robertson met a deep Trent Alexander-Arnold cross with a cushioned volley for Roberto Firmino to head in from close range.

    Manchester City were not finished, though, and restored their lead in the 72nd minute when Raheem Sterling broke from midfield and fed Sane on the left.

    The German winger drove home off the inside of the far post.

    Aguero went close to a third after Sterling led a swift counter-attack but Alisson was up to the task.

    At the other end, Ederson produced a fine save to keep out a Mohammed Salah effort.

    Alisson did well again to keep out a close-range blast from Bernardo Silva in the final minute of normal time.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Man City thump Saints to return to top

    Manchester City defeated Southampton 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium last night to move back above Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

    The Citizens had their ninth top-flight win of the season wrapped up with less than a quarter of the game played, finding themselves three goals to the good through a Wesley Hoedt own goal and strikes from Sergio Aguero and David Silva.

    Danny Ings pulled one back for Southampton from the penalty spot, but Raheem Sterling added his name to the scoresheet with a couple of goals of his own either side of half time, before Leroy Sane rounded off the scoring in added time.

    City, who required a goal in the 96th and 94th minute to earn all three points in last season’s games against Southampton, have now scored five or more goals in a league game under Pep Guardiola on 15 occasions.

    Southampton headed into the match winless in six league matches and without a goal in five of them, and what was always going to be a difficult task was made even tougher when conceding six minutes in.

    Sane, returning to the side in place of Riyad Mahrez in City’s only change from the 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, fired in a low cross which Hoedt could only divert into the roof of his own net from under the crossbar.

    One goal became two six minutes later as the division’s highest scorers went through the gears, with Aguero tapping in at the back post for his landmark 150th Premier League goal following some good work from Sterling.

    Sterling was then denied by a smart Alex McCarthy stop, but the Englishman was again involved a couple of minutes later as his chipped delivery was smashed into the back of the net by Silva for City’s third of the match.

    Southampton, who had kept back-to-back clean sheets prior to today, were given a route back into the match half an hour in as Ederson raced off his line and wiped out Liverpool loanee Ings, leaving referee Lee Mason with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.

    Ings stepped up and rolled the ball to Ederson’s left – the first penalty that the Brazilian has conceded in the English top flight, having saved the last two, ending his hopes of keeping a club-record seventh clean sheet in a row.

    City restored their three-goal advantage before the interval, however, thanks to Sterling’s simple finish past McCarthy after Aguero kept the ball in play and squared it to his teammate, though the Englishman required a couple of bites of the cherry after miscuing his initial shot.

    The hosts were guilty of taking their foot off the gas in the second half, and it could have been game on again as James Ward-Prowse and Ings both had attempts kept out by Ederson – the latter nodding a corner downward to force the Brazilian into a fine stop down low.

    A fifth home goal would arrive with around a quarter of the game to play, however, as Sterling fired the ball across McCarthy from an angle once teed up Aguero, shortly after Sane had curled a shot against the frame of the goal.

    Shane Long should have pulled one back for the south coast side late on, only to shoot wide from eight yards, and it was then left to Sane to stroke the ball out of McCarthy’s reach from the edge of the area to cap another impressive City display.