Manchester City beat West Ham 2-1 in swirling snow on Sunday
to return to second in the Premier League as Watford manager Claudio Ranieri
endured a miserable return to Leicester.
Free-scoring Liverpool laid down the gauntlet by hammering
Southampton 4-0 the previous day to move to within one point of leaders
Chelsea, who host Manchester United in Sunday’s late kick-off.
But reigning champions City stayed in close touch with
victory at home to high-flying West Ham as the Premier League increasingly
resembles a three-horse race.
Riyad Mahrez had a strike ruled out for offside at the
Etihad but the hosts eventually claimed the lead shortly after the half-hour
mark when a Mahrez ball into the box was deflected into the path of Ilkay
Gundogan, handing the German a simple finish.
Declan Rice forced a good save from Ederson as West Ham
threatened late on but substitute Fernandinho made it 2-0 to City in the
closing minutes.
Manuel Lanzini pulled one back deep into stoppage time but
it was not enough for David Moyes’s team to avoid a second successive defeat.
“We have an incredible groundskeeper — thanks to them we
could play,” Guardiola told the BBC, referring to the wintry conditions in
Manchester.
“The chances we created… it could have been three or four.
The players we have out… those that came here were brilliant. All of them. We
cannot forget which opponent we played. They have everything.”
– Vardy double –
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy reminded Ranieri of his enduring
quality even in his mid-30s, scoring twice at a snowy King Power Stadium in a
4-2 win against Watford.
Ranieri, who famously won the Premier League title with
unfancied Leicester in 2016, received a rapturous reception on his emotional
first return to the stadium as an opposition manager since leaving the club
early the following year.
Midfielder James Maddison gave Leicester an early lead when
he capitalised on a mistake by William Troost-Ekong, only for Josh King to
level from the penalty spot in the 30th minute after Wilfred Ndidi brought down
Emmanuel Dennis in the area.
Leicester regained the lead four minutes later when Vardy
lifted the ball over goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann from an angle and the former
England striker grabbed his second three minutes before the break when he
glanced in Maddison’s corner.
Dennis pulled a goal back just after the hour when he robbed
Timothy Castagne to race through and chip over Kasper Schmeichel but Ademola
Lookman scored from close range to restore the home side’s two-goal cushion.
Brentford heaped the pressure on Rafael Benitez by beating
Everton 1-0 to secure their first Premier League win since early October,
courtesy of a first-half penalty from Ivan Toney.
Everton, who have taken just two points from their past
seven league matches, face Liverpool in a daunting test in midweek.
“Every game is important for us,” said ex-Liverpool boss
Benitez. “Obviously the next one is more important because it is the derby. We
must learn from the mistakes we are making.
“When you lose games it is not easy. It is football.
Sometimes like today you have chances and you push but it is not enough. The
only thing is to keep attacking and try not to make these mistakes in defence.”
The game between Burnley and Tottenham was called off a
little under an hour before kick-off because of heavy snow at Turf Moor in
northwest England.
Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for a place on the bench as
temporary Manchester United boss Michael Carrick made four changes to his
starting team to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
United, who sacked Ole Gunnar Solksjaer last week after a
humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford, are set to hire former RB Leipzig boss Ralf
Rangnick imminently as their interim manager until the end of the season.
AFP
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