City Tekan Chelsea setelah Tekuk Crystal Palace 3-0
Manchester City Moved Level on Points with Chelsea
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
London (B2B) - Manchester City berhasil mengalahkan tamunya Crystal Palace 3-0 pada pertandingan lanjutan Liga Utama Inggris, Sabtu malam, di Etihad Stadium. Sementara itu Mancheser United ditahan tuan rumah Aston Villa 1-1.
Hasil ini membuat City menekan pimpinan klasemen sementara Chelsea, sementara posisi Manchester United terancam oleh West Ham United.
Kemenangan City membuat pasukan Manuel Pellegrini mendapat tambahan nilai tiga poin menjadi 39, sama dengan nilai yang dimiliki pimpinan klasemen sementara Chelsea. Namun karena kalah selisih gol maka City tetap berada di urutan kedua. Chelsea memiliki selisih 23 gol sementara The Citizens tertinggal satu yakni 22 gol.
Namun Chelsea masih memiliki satu pertandingan sisa. City telah melakoni 17 laga sementara The Blues 16 laga. Tim asuhan Jose Mourinho ini baru akan bertanding Senin malam ke kandang Stoke City.
Sementara itu, Manchester United hanya mendapat tambahan satu nilai dari hasil imbangnya melawan Aston Villa, sehingga kini mengantongi nilai 32 dari 17 pertandingan.
Hasil ini memang tidak mengubah posisi tim asuhan Louis Van Gaal dari posisi ketiga, namun perbedaan nilai dengan City makin melebar dari sebelumnya hanya lima poin menjadi tujuh poin.
Posisi The Red Devils juga terancam oleh West Ham yang menang 2-0 melawan Leicester tadi malam. West Ham kini memiliki nilai 31 atau hanya tertinggal satu poin dari MU yang sama-sama telah menjalani 17 pertandingan, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
London - Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday to move level with Premier League leaders Chelsea, while Radamel Falco earned Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
City were missing Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic due to injury, but they secured an eighth consecutive win in all competitions thanks to David Silva's second-half brace and a late Yaya Toure strike.
Victory left City level on 39 points with Chelsea, who remain top by virtue of a superior goal difference (+23 to +22) ahead of their trip to Stoke City on Monday.
At the Etihad Stadium, City started with James Milner as an auxiliary striker and after growing into the game, the champions went ahead four minutes into the second half.
From Fernandinho's pass, Pablo Zabaleta scuttled into the area before cutting the ball back for Silva, who beat Julian Speroni with the aid of a deflection off Scott Dann.
Silva claimed his second goal in the 61st minute, neatly steering home at the near post from Aleksandar Kolarov's left-wing centre.
James McArthur thought he had replied for Palace moments later when he headed Yannick Bolasie's cross past Hart, but although Fernandinho appeared to have played him onside, the assistant referee's flag went up.