After several Manchester City starters were rested, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic ensured the defending champions did not lose their way in the Premier League title race.
Kovacic and Doku scored in the second half and City went ahead to comfortably beat Luton 5-1.
Guardiola rested several players, thinking regarding the midweek game once morest Real Madrid, but his replacements convinced. Kovacic made it 2-0 in the 51st minute with a thunderous shot from the edge of the area, while Doku won a penalty that led to the third goal and then scored the fourth before assisting on the fifth goal.
“You can’t play with the same ones, it’s impossible,” admitted Guardiola. “Everyone is allowed to score and it is important.”
With this result City reached the top of the table, two points above Arsenal and Liverpool, who are playing today.
It was a perfect preparation for the visit of Madrid for the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals following a 3-3 draw this week in Spain.
And because the fight between the three teams for the title will be decided until the end, Guardiola knows that this is one of many games they must win before the end of the campaign.
“Try and extend (the title fight) one more week, one more week,” Guardiola repeated. “Today we will sleep at the top of the league, we will see tomorrow and we know what we have to do.”
Newcastle Golea
For the second year in a row, Newcastle beat Tottenham at St.James’ Park.
After beating Spurs 6-1 at home last year, Newcastle crushed Ange Postecoglou’s team 4-0 to deal another blow to their bid for a top-four finish. As happened a year ago, Alexander Isak scored two goals and took his total to 17 in the league and 21 for the campaign.
Anthony Gordon made it 2-0 95 seconds following Isak opened the scoring and added two more assists.
“Playing soccer is fun right now, especially when we have days like this,” Isak admitted.
But it was no fun for Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven following the centre-back was partly to blame for the first two goals by slipping and allowing Isak and Gordon to advance the ball into the box.
With this defeat, Tottenham fell below Aston Villa in fifth place on goal difference.
Newcastle is sixth, 10 units behind.
Let go points
Penalties helped Manchester United to a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth and their chance of advancing to the Champions League seems to be falling.
Tottenham’s setback gave United the opportunity to close the gap, but Erik ten Hag’s team is 10 points behind fourth place with six games remaining. United have gone four league games without winning.— AP
#City #maintains #pace #Premier
2024-04-23 22:22:34
