Premier League roundup: What the heck just happened with the Manchester clubs?
Manchester City has designs on retaining its Premier League title. Manchester United had been literally unbeatable under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Tuesday’s midweek fixtures brought both Manchester clubs back down to earth in loud fashion.
City conceded a pair of second-half goals to Newcastle and lost 2-1, while United had to swirl together an incredible late rally just to salvage a 2-2 draw at home against Burnley.
What do those results mean in the grand scheme?
City might have just handed Liverpool the league crown
And frankly, that’s not really an exaggeration at this point.
There are 14 matchweeks left, so still plenty of time to make up ground, but Liverpool has a chance to go seven points clear at the top of the table on Wednesday. And Jurgen Klopp’s men have only failed to win four times in 23 league matches this season, so they’re setting a torrid pace.
Simply put, City can’t afford the kind of slip-ups it endured on Tuesday.
Newcastle, fresh off the signing of Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron, fell behind inside 30 seconds when goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made a mess of chasing down a cross and Sergio Aguero cleaned up the loose ball (via NBC):
It seemed like it was going to be a long afternoon for Newcastle. In fact it was the other way around.
City held over three-quarters of the possession and generated 12 shots, but couldn’t find another goal. Turns out, the Citizens ended up needing one.
Solomon Rondon leveled the match with a volley straight into the ground that bounced past City keeper Ederson in the 66th minute, and Newcastle drew a penalty in the 78th minute when Fernandinho took what can be best described as a “what the hell were you thinking” touch inside his own box.
His unawareness led to him clattering into Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie, who converted the spot kick to give Newcastle the shock victory:
Was it a surefire penalty? Maybe, maybe not. Was City supremely careless playing the ball around the back? Absolutely, and it invited such punishment.
That could be a moment that changes the season, for both clubs. Newcastle is now a full five points clear of relegation, and manager Rafa Benitez did his old club Liverpool a solid. City doesn’t play the Reds head-to-head again in the league, and the reigning champions welcome Arsenal to the Etihad on Sunday, which could result in more dropped points.
Count out Pep Guardiola and City’s phenomenal talent at your own risk. But it’s fair to question whether they just fumbled away their crown.
United suddenly looks vulnerable under Solskjaer
The Red Devils had won their first eight games in all competitions since Solskjaer took over for Jose Mourinho on an interim basis, and Tuesday’s fixture against Burnley didn’t appear to offer much threat.
At least until United’s defense inexplicably fell to sixes and sevens.
After a scoreless first half in which Burnley frustrated United with its deep-lying, compact setup, Jack Cork dispossessed Andreas Pereira about 30 yards from goal and slid a pass to Ashley Barnes, who finished with authority to put the visitors up:
Chris Wood doubled the lead in the 81st minute by driving home a header as United scrambled to communicate in marking him. It looked like bottom-dwelling Burnley was about to leave Old Trafford with a stunning three points.
At least until United’s spectacular rally. First, Burnley’s Jeff Hendrick pulled down Jesse Lingard in the box, and Paul Pogba converted the ensuing penalty to halve the lead in the 87th minute.
Then a few minutes later in stoppage time, Victor Lindelof made sure United stayed unbeaten under Solskjaer:
Despite avoiding defeat, the draw could prove to be costly for the Red Devils. Arsenal beat Cardiff on Tuesday and is now two points ahead of United in fifth place as both clubs chase Chelsea in the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot.
The schedule is about to get much, much harder for United, too, with February trips to Leicester City, relegation battler Fulham and Chelsea in the FA Cup, along with home dates against Liverpool in the league and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
To come out the other side of that slate clean, the Red Devils will need much better performances than they put forth against Burnley.
Other Premier League scores
Arsenal 2-1 Cardiff City
Fulham 4-2 Brighton
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United
Joey Gulino is the editor of Yahoo Soccer and moonlights as a writer. Follow him on Twitter at @JGulinoYahoo.
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