In Sunday’s Manchester derby the United manager must call on all his pragmatism to halt Pep Guardiola’s side and keep the title race aliveThis, it feels, is it. It may be only the second weekend of December but if Manchester United lose at home to Manchester City on Sunday the gap at the top of the table will be 11 points and the title race – and José Mourinho’s record of always winning the league in his second season at a club – will be as good as over. Related: José Mourinho is growing restless in Pep Guardiola’s shade | Daniel Taylor Related: José Mourinho revels in the brutal beauty of sticking to his principles | Barney Ronay Continue reading...
Manchester City chasing record number of records, Hazard challenged to get better still, Puel proves his worth again and Pochettino unfazed by wobble• Sign up now and get our weekly email, The Recap, every Friday Related: Pep Guardiola happy as Man City repeat ‘Fergie time’ trick against West Ham Related: The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photos Continue reading...
Manchester City juggernaut had to find an extra gear to overcome a West Ham side who, despite a 2-1 defeat, offered something for their manager to work withAn unkind reading would be that the fact West Ham United can take such heart from what was eventually an Alamo‑esque occasion speaks volumes for the position the club find themselves in. That would not be unfair, even if caveats do exist. If David Moyes could not conjure a result up here then the semblance of a platform, a hint of the resilience that has deserted his new charges for so long, would reflect well on everyone involved: he got that at the Etihad and, with a little more quality at either end,...
The recently appointed Hammers boss won’t have to play Manchester City every week, but he will have to start somewhereDecember was the month that found Manchester City out last year and, though history does not look like repeating itself with Pep Guardiola’s side on the verge of equalling a Premier League record for consecutive wins within a season, the runaway league leaders need to be wary of a seven-game month that includes a derby.Twelve months ago it was Chelsea, on their own record-equalling 13 match winning run, who came to the Etihad and inflicted the first home defeat of the season with a 3-1 win. City were still shell-shocked a week later when they turned up at Leicester in some...
Is there a possible straw for Manchester City rivals to clutch at? Jack Wilshere has an impact off the bench and Riyad Mahrez is treading water at Leicester• Sign up to our weekly email, The Recap, here, showcasing a selection of our sport features from the past seven daysManchester City proved they possess the spirit to match their skills in fighting back from an undeserved half-time deficit to claim this win. Huddersfield Town, who were again impressive, held the lead for 1min54sec – 20% of the total time City have been behind in their seven away games this season. City’s unbeaten record was briefly imperilled by a poor period of play which had Fabian Delph at its heart. The stand-in...