Manchester City‘s UEFA Champions League qualification ambitions were thrown back into doubt on Saturday following a surprising goalless draw at already-relegated Southampton, the Premier League’s last-placed team.
The result could prove to be two crucial dropped points for third-placed City in a six-team race for the four remaining spots to get into the Champions League, along with champion Liverpool.
Even Erling Haaland’s return after a six-week absence because of injury couldn’t make a difference for Guardiola’s side, which dragged itself into a better position in the league on the back of four straight wins.
As the table stands, City had two points more than Newcastle and Chelsea, who meet at St. James’ Park on Sunday, and four more than Nottingham Forest, which hosts already-relegated Leicester on Sunday.
Seventh-placed Villa was a further point back and visited Bournemouth later on Saturday.
City’s unprecedented four-year reign as champion was ended by Liverpool this season.
The draw lifted Southampton onto 12 points — one more than the lowest ever points haul in a single season, set by Derby County in 2007-08.
Manchester City stumbled again in the battle to secure a return to the Champions League as they were pegged back twice by fellow top-five challengers Brighton in an entertaining encounter at Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland became the first player to reach 100 Premier League goal involvements in fewer than 100 games when he marked his 94th appearance in the competition with his 84th goal by sending Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen the wrong way with his 11th-minute penalty.
In a game of superb goals, Pervis Estupinan levelled with a curling free-kick that bounced in off a post, although City keeper Stefan Ortega, in for injured first-choice Ederson, did not cover himself in glory as he initially moved to his right before changing direction and eventually watching the ball go in with a shocked look on his first.
Omar Marmoush levelled with a superb 20-yard strike into the bottom corner, only for City’s brittle defence to let them down again three minutes after the restart as Abdukodir Khusanov diverted Jack Hinshelwood’s effort into his own net.
Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Manchester City after talisman Mohamed Salah scored their first goal and set up Dominik Szoboszlai for the second as they went 11 points clear at the top.
Arne Slot’s side have 64 points from 27 matches ahead of second-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand. City are fourth on 44 as their early-season quest for a fifth consecutive title has unravelled into a chase for a Champions League berth.
Salah struck his league-leading 25thC goal of the season in the 14th minute following a corner with a blistering shot from near the top of box that deflected off the outstretched foot of City defender Nathan Ake past goalkeeper Ederson.
Szoboszlai took advantage of City’s atrocious defending to double the lead in the 37th . Salah found the unmarked Hungarian in the box for an easy pass into the net to the dismay of City fans, whose dismal mood was matched by the driving rain.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has cast doubt over Erling Haaland’s involvement against Liverpool tomorrow and also confirmed that John Stones is likely to undergo surgery.
Haaland remained on the bench for City’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday after picking up a knock in their Premier League clash against Newcastle United four days prior. Teammate John Stones started at the Bernabéu but was withdrawn after eight minutes due to injury.
“Don’t know yet. Tomorrow, we’ll know it,” Guardiola told a news conference when asked if Haaland will be fit to play Liverpool.
Yeah, maybe [I’m hopeful] but I don’t yet. We train today and tomorrow, he will test, I guess, but I don’t know.”
Stones faces a lengthier layoff and his injury further depletes a Man City backline that has already lost Manuel Akanji for up to 10 weeks due to a groin issue that required surgery.
“He’s [Stones] injured, a difficult one. Next hours, days we’ll know if he needs surgery or not … Yeah [a long period out], like Manu Akanji.”
The England international has been plagued by injury in recent months and has made just 20 appearances for the club this season.
Despite City’s injuries, Guardiola expects his side to put up a good fight against leaders Liverpool tomorrow.
“We can compete with any team. We have two central defenders out for two to three months. The Premier League is massively important for us. In the Premier League we have played really good games,” he said.
“We are not stable but in other games such as against Newcastle, we have been at a high level. We will try to play a good game and the points that we need to stay up there to qualify [for the Champions League] next season.”
Manchester City hosts Liverpool on Sunday, in a highly anticipated clash, which kicks off at 5:30 PM, and will be available to stream live on Showmax Premier League mobile.
City and Liverpool have been the standard setters in the Premier League for much of the last eight years. While City are ahead in the trophy count, Liverpool have pushed them to the limit in title races, including their 97-point campaign in 2019.
The landscape has shifted this season, with Liverpool sitting comfortably at the top of the table. On the other hand, City have already suffered seven league defeats and sit in an unfamiliar fourth place, 17 points adrift. A win for City would disrupt the title race, giving Arsenal and other contenders hope, while a Liverpool victory would reinforce their grip at the summit.
City go into this fixture buoyed by a 4-0 win over Newcastle, but reeling from a Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola’s side has lacked their usual dominance this season, struggling with injuries and defensive lapses. Liverpool, meanwhile, was held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa during the week. Despite their strong league form, inconsistency in key moments has left them vulnerable. A positive result at the Etihad would strengthen their title charge, while a slip-up could open the door for Arsenal, who have quietly built momentum in recent weeks.
Beyond the title race, the weekend offers plenty of intrigue across the league. Arsenal host West Ham, as they look to keep the pressure on Liverpool. The Hammers, who have lost their last two games, face a difficult task against an in-form Gunners side. Chelsea, still struggling for consistency, travel to Aston Villa after a humbling 3-0 defeat to Brighton. Meanwhile, Manchester United face Everton in Saturday’s early kick-off, with both teams looking to climb out of mid-table mediocrity.
With the season entering a decisive phase, every point matters. Fans can catch all the weekend’s action, including Sunday’s high-stakes clash between City and Liverpool, live on Showmax Premier League mobile.
The career of Nigeria International striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been rather topsy-turvy since he broke unto the scene in 2013 when his goals helped Nigeria to clinch her fourth U-17 FIFA World Cup title in the UAE in 2013. But a combination of loss of form and lack of confidence had since enveloped his career since he left Manchester City en route to Leicester City and Sevilla where he has now been farmed out to the English Championship side, Middlesbrough, writes Sports Editor, MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN…
For Kelechi Iheanacho, the Super Eagles forward who on transfer deadline day on Monday, completed a loan move till the end of the season from la Liga outfit, Sevilla to English Championship side, Middlesbrough, his football career has been full of ups and downs since he started his European football adventure a decade ago.
“I love football from when I was a kid,” Iheanacho, the once-precocious talent that helped Nigeria to her fourth FIFA U-17 World Cup title in the UAE in 2013, told Middlesbrough’s website in his first official interview. “I love playing football and around the streets in Nigeria. It was lovely playing with friends and through the academy. I love playing football and this is what I enjoy doing.”
Born in October 1996 in Owerri, the now 28-year-old Iheanacho who has since acquired the sobriquet, Senior Man, started his career at the famous Taye Academy in Owerri, the capital city of Imo State.
It was here that he was first selected for the national Under-15 team en route to the Under-17 national team under coach Manu Garba where he blossomed on the global plane at the 2013 FIFA U-!7 World Cup.
He was the team’s top scorer with an impressive six goals as Nigeria won the title with aplomb and was deservedly named as the tournament’s best player and his performances led to interest from a number of European clubs. He eventually signed a pre-contract agreement to join Manchester City on his 18th birthday in 2014
“ I’m happy with all my journey from Nigeria to Manchester (City), Leicester , Sevilla and now I’m here,” Iheanacho who was named Africa’s Most Promising Talent by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2013 and 2016, further stated. “So, it’s been a good experience over the years, and I’m really happy obviously with my journey from that time till now.
“ It’s been ups and downs but I have enjoyed and hopefully, I will enjoy it here too (at Middlesbrough).”
Once regarded as one of the ‘outrageously talented players’ of his generation after he scored some of the goals that helped Nigeria to claim the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup title in the UAE and was personally handed the Golden Ball award as the most outstanding player of the tournament. Since 2013, no Nigerian youngster has bettered Iheanacho’s scoring record at the youth level and he’s head and shoulder above the likes of Victor Osimhen and Success Isaac with number of goals scored for the national Under-17 team for instance.
In a cumulative comparison, Iheanacho had 35 goals in 49 matches (71%) while both Isaac and Osimhen had 51 goals in 79 matches (64%) and 33 goals in 79 matches (67%) respectively during their days with the Golden Eaglets.
After his heroics at the global cadet championship in the UAE, Iheanacho was persuaded by close folks to sign the big money deal with Manchester City on his 18th anniversary in 2014 rather than go to a modest side like Sporting Clube de Portugal, a club widely known as a breeding grounds for great players in the shape of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo.
After horning his skills with the Manchester City’s Academy where he notched goals like telephone, Iheanacho was drafted into the first team for the 2015/2016 then under the guidance of Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini to kick start his adventure in the EPL with an impressive statistics.
He finished the first season with eight EPL goals and had the best goals-per-minute ratio of any player averaging, a goal every 93.9 minutes. In all competitions he finished with a record of 14 goals and 5 assists from 35 appearances despite being on the starting line-up in only 11 of these games. His goals total also meant he ended the season as City’s third-highest scorer behind well-established starts like Sergei Aguero (29) and Kevin De Bruyne (16).
But the thought that Iheanacho was going to blossom under the revered former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola who took over from Pellegrini at the start of the 2016/2017 season soon vanished as he was sparingly used throughout the period.
But he did get some plaudits for some great performances that season including scoring the winning goal in the sacred Manchester derby (against Manchester United) and ended with just four EPL goals in 20 appearances before taking a bow from Etihad Stadium.
Many faulted Iheanacho’s choice of Manchester City from the outset of his professional football career, a fact widely disputed then by foremost youth coach Manu Garba under whose guidance the lad played some of the best football of his fledging career with the Golden Eaglets class of 2013.
“Kelechi Iheanacho is one of the best clinical finishers among his age bracket and one of the best I have seen in the last ten years,” Garba, a two-time winner of the FIFA U-17 World Cup title in 2007 and 2013 told The Nation in a file interview. “He has the ability to convert half chances and a good shooter of the ball and his interest would not have been better served than anywhere than Manchester City.”
Apart from appearing for Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid that season, and ended the campaign with the best goals-per-minute ratio in the Premier League
Iheanacho’s form at City earned him a nomination for the coveted FIFA Golden Boy award in 2016 but departed the Premier League sides in the summer of 2017 with a record of 21 goals in 64 senior appearances
“It was challenging moving from straight from Africa to Europe, a different culture and environment,” Iheanacho said this week.“ It was big coming to England (Manchester City), different environment but I enjoyed it; It was lovely.”.
He joined Leicester City in the summer of 2017 and scored 61 goals for the Foxes across seven seasons A run of 12 goals in 10 games in the 2020/21 season helped Leicester qualify for the Europa League. He also won the Premier League Player of the Month award in March 2021 during that run. Iheanacho scored the only goal in Leicester’s win over Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final that season, and was a starter in the final as the Foxes defeated Chelsea. The ‘Senior Man’ also scored Leicester’s winning goal in the 2021 Community Shield against Manchester City, and was named the club’s Player of the Year for 2022/23.
Strangely, it was while with the Foxes that Iheanacho lost all his fine attacking attributes which cost him dear as he was omitted by German coach Gernot Rohr in the Super Eagles’ squad that won the Bronze at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
“Kelechi used to be an important player for us in the Super Eagles,” the usual blunt Rohr told The Nation in an interview then. “A very good left footed goal scorer with good fighting spirit. I hope he gets back his confidence. I don’t know what caused his lack of fitness and I think it’s only his coach at Leicester City (Brendan Rodgers) that can answer that question because I saw him last in Asaba before the AFCON (2019) and I saw that he’d fitness problem and lack of confidence.
“ I think once he has his confidence back, fitness will come as a result of hard work. He used to be powerful and quick and I know he can recover all these qualities of old.
“The way to go about that is to keep working hard and ensure he convince his coach in Leicester City that he’s ready to do more. His coach was wondering why I didn’t call him again after the Russia 2018 World Cup because he felt he was good enough but he also stopped using him because he was not ok.
“ But he’s a good guy and with hard work he can do wonders,” noted the former Bayern Munich defender.
But it’s as though the ship has left Iheanacho as he shilly-shallied in his performances with both Leicester City and Super Eagles much to the chagrin of his fans.
In his last season with Leicester City, Iheanacho scored just six goals in 26 matches in all competitions, as his club managed to achieve the EFL Championship, securing promotion back to the Premier League but was declared surplus to requirement as the club did not give him a new contract.
It was a great achievement winning the FA Cup at Leicester City and winning promotion in the Championship,” he recounted. “It was a great achievement for the club. It’s a good club and winning that with them was great achievement. It was really good.”
Last summer, he joined Spanish club Sevilla on a free transfer but his performance at the La Liga outfit was hardly impressive as he scored three times in 11 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla.
On Monday, Iheanacho moved to the Championship club Middlesbrough on loan by signing a contract until the end of the 2024–25 season/
Yet Iheanacho has promised to energize himself while at Middlesbrough, adding that he still has the hunger to strut his stuff in order to make his community and country proud as a loanee at the Teesside.
“It’s very great to be representing my community and my country; and I’m proud of my community and country each time I go out there,” Iheanacho who has registered just 15 goals in 57 appearances with the super Eagles, further told Boro’s website on Tuesday. “So I’ll keep doing that as long as I’m playing.”
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City face off at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night in what is arguably the most crucial fixture of matchday seven in the Champions League league phase.
Initially expected to be a routine encounter, the match has now taken on greater significance for both sides following their underwhelming starts to the European campaign.
PSG manager Luis Enrique holds an impressive record against City’s Pep Guardiola, having lost only two of their five previous encounters.
He is also one of just two managers, alongside Jürgen Klopp, to have defeated Guardiola by three or more goals on multiple occasions.
Manchester City’s struggles in Europe have mirrored PSG’s, with early setbacks impacting their domestic form.
However, City appear to be regaining momentum, having won four of their last five matches.
Despite losing only three of their previous 28 away games in the Champions League, they are currently on a two-game losing streak on the road— their worst run since the 2011-12 season— after defeats to Sporting Lisbon and Juventus, which have put their qualification hopes in jeopardy.
Here are key points to know ahead of this high-stakes clash.
1 Paris SG have only won one of their seven matches against Manchester City in European competition (D2 L4). Among teams they’ve faced more than five times in Europe, this is their lowest win percentage against any opponent (14%).
2 Paris SG won their last home match against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, despite attempting just six shots (2-0 in September 2021). This remains the fewest shots they’ve had on record (since 2003-04) in a home match in the competition.
3 Paris SG won 3-0 against FC Salzburg on MD6, registering as many wins and goals as they had across their previous seven games in the UEFA Champions League (W1 D2 L4). They last won consecutive games in the competition last February when they beat Real Sociedad home and away in the last 16.
4 This will be the fifth meeting between Paris SG’s Luis Enrique and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, with both winning two games each in the UEFA Champions League. However, along with Jürgen Klopp (2), Luis Enrique is one of only two managers to have beaten Guardiola by 3+ goals on multiple occasions (3-0 in May 2015 and 4-0 in October 2016, both in charge of Barcelona).
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City “need help” during the January transfer window after admitting his side have “no chance” of winning the Premier League title this season.
The City boss celebrated 500 games in charge of the club with a nervy 2-0 win over Leicester on Sunday.
City’s victory – just their second in their last 10 Premier League games – lifts them up to fifth, but they are 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.
“We are far away from winning the Premier League,” Guardiola told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“We accept there’s already no chance of that but we have other things to fight for: FA Cup, top four… and winning games helps.”
City have won six of the last seven Premier League titles, but before the win over Leicester, the club had won just one of their previous 13 league games – losing nine.
Manchester City celebrated Pep Guardiola’s 500th game as boss with a 2-0 victory over lowly Leicester City, but the manager was more relieved than rapturous at what has of late become the rare taste of victory.
Guardiola’s struggling team won for the first time in five league games to climb to a provisional fifth in the Premier League, but are still way off leaders Liverpool, who have 11 points and two games in hand over the reigning champions.
“Just relief that is the word to express how all of us feel. We have done incredible things and now we struggle to win games so now it’s just relief,” Guardiola said.
“We needed it. All of us. It was not the ideal performance but hopefully the victories will give our mood a better position.
“For the result we have to do something. If you don’t perform, the results won’t come. Now, in the position we are in, the results are the most important thing, to get points and help our minds. We have another game at home next and many good things happened today.”
Brazilian Savinho netted his first goal in a City shirt in the first half, and then City narrowly staved off several Leicester chances before Erling Haaland scored to give the visitors some breathing space.
The goal was a confidence boost for Haaland as well, as he has found the back of the net just twice in his last eight league games in the roughest stretch of his Premier League career.
“Sometimes Erling has been judged badly but it’s part of football,” Guardiola said. “He’s tired, he’s played a lot of minutes. He’s become a father for the first time in the last few days, a lot of emotions and an exciting few days for him.”
Haaland pointed out that his team do not have a game now until Saturday when they host West Ham United, making for a rare few days off in what has been a gruelling stretch of games.
“It has been a difficult time. Things happen and we have to keep going, we have to stay positive and focus on the right things.” Haaland said.
“Now it’s New Year so don’t think too much about football … I think it’s the longest time in a pretty long period and now we can rest a little bit and go again.”
Liverpool overawed arch-rivals Manchester City in a 2-0 win with goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah to take a commanding nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League and extend their opponents’ slump to seven games without a win.
The result was City’s first four-game losing streak in the Premier League since 2008 and pushed Pep Guardiola’s struggling side down to an unfamiliar fifth in the table, 11 points behind their greatest rivals of recent years.
Buoyed by a midweek Champions League win over Real Madrid, Liverpool came out flying and could have wrapped the game up by halftime with a hatful of chances including two thundering Virgil van Dijk headers, one of which hit the woodwork.
The first goal came in the 12th minute after a sumptuous long pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold to Salah on the right wing. His low ball eluded Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega for Gakpo to nudge in at the back post.
Salah scored Liverpool’s second with a 78th -minute penalty, after fellow striker Luis Diaz was brought down by Ortega in the box, sending the Anfield crowd into delirium.
“The fans were behind us from the first minute, and I’m glad we managed to win the game … I’m enjoying every minute here,” said Salah, acknowledging, however, that it could be his last game at home to City amid speculation over his contract renewal. “It’s very special and I don’t take it for granted. It’s always special to score at Anfield and win games.
The result was manager Arne Slot’s 18th win in 20 games in a wonderful start at Liverpool where he has managed to add defensive steel and calm control to the furious attacking style of predecessor Juergen Klopp.
Slot’s team are top of the Champions League after a flawless start in that competition and have now taken an intimidating lead in the Premier League on 34 points after 13 games, nine points above both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Dominant from the off on Sunday, Liverpool had 18 shots including seven on target throughout the game, compared to City’s eight with only two on target.
It was the first time in Guardiola’s illustrious coaching career that he has lost four successive league games.
Liverpool fans delighted in taunting him with the chant: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” which the Spaniard took in good spirit, raising six fingers for the number of Premier League titles he has won.
