Kevin De Bruyne came back to haunt his old club as his fine strike handed Premier League leaders Manchester City a 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday.
Against no side has De Bruyne scored more Premier League goals than he has against the Blues (five), with this total the most against Chelsea by any player who has previously played for them in the competition.
Elsewhere, Manchester United threw away a two-goal lead at Aston Villa to draw 2-2, with Philippe Coutinho sealing a point on his debut following his loan move from Barcelona.
Wolves beat Southampton 3-1 and Norwich City piled the pressure on Rafael Benitez with a 2-1 win over Everton, while strugglers Newcastle United and Watford played out a 1-1 draw.
Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the Opta data from another eventful day in the Premier League.
Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: De Bruyne edges Guardiola's men closer to the title
City's seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League title continued with a 12th straight top-flight win.
It marked the ninth run of 12 or more victories in the competition's history, with Pep Guardiola's side now responsible for four of those.
The decisive goal came from Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgium international superbly whipping into the bottom-right corner from distance with 20 minutes remaining.
De Bruyne has scored 21 Premier League goals from outside the penalty area – the most of any player since his first season with City (2015-16), and the joint-most of any Citizens player in the competition's history (level with Sergio Aguero).
Chelsea scarcely landed a blow on their hosts, failing to register a single shot in the first half. Indeed, they had just seven touches in City's penalty area – their fewest in a single Premier League match since January 2015 (also seven vs Man City).
Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United: Red Devils squander two-goal lead
A stirring late fight back from Villa meant United failed to win a Premier League away game in which they led by 2+ goals for the first time since January 2016 against Newcastle (3-3).
Bruno Fernandes' opener was the first Premier League goal United have scored from a set piece situation this season (excluding penalties), before the Portugal international doubled their advantage in the second period.
Since making his United debut in February 2020, only Mohamed Salah (45) and Harry Kane (34) have scored more Premier League goals than Fernandes (33), while only James Ward-Prowse (seven) has scored more goals from outside the box in the competition during this period than the Portuguese (six).
Jacob Ramsey inspired a memorable comeback, though, the 20-year-old becoming the first Villa player to both score and assist against United in a single Premier League game since John Carew in April 2009, and the third-youngest player to do it against the Red Devils in the Premier League overall after Kelechi Iheanacho in September 2016 and Harry Kewell in November 1998.
Coutinho ensured the points were shared in what was his first Premier League appearance in 1477 days (for Liverpool vs Leicester City in December 2017).
Norwich City 2-1 Everton: Idah gets off the mark to put Benitez on the brink
The Canaries kick-started their bid for survival with a second win in six Premier League home games under Dean Smith – as many as they managed in their final 21 home games in the competition under previous manager Daniel Farke.
There were just 92 seconds between Michael Keane's own goal and Adam Idah's first Premier League strike, the hosts scoring as many times inside the opening 18 minutes as they had in their previous eight top-flight matches combined (one).
Idah's goal was his first in 27 Premier League appearances, while it was his first league goal since May 2021, when he scored in Norwich's final game of the Championship season.
The result meant Everton, who pulled one back through Richarlison, have won just 19 points from their 19 league games this season. Only twice previously have they had fewer at this stage of a Premier League campaign (17 in 1997-98 and 2005-06) and it looks as though Benitez's time may be up.
Wolves 3-1 Southampton: Traore off the mark as hosts' fine season continues
Wolves completed a top-flight double over Southampton for the first time since 1971-72, as well as winning three in a row against Saints in the top tier for the first time since October 1970.
Raul Jimenez and Conor Coady put them 2-0 up before the hour mark, with the latter's three Premier League goals coming from just four shots on target in 134 appearances.
Saints captain James Ward-Prowse scored his 12th direct free-kick goal in the Premier League to reduce the deficit – a haul bettered only by David Beckham (18).
However, Adama Traore's first goal in 22 top-flight appearances ensured Wolves picked up 31 points from their first 20 games of the season – their best return at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1979-80 (also 31 points) when they finished in sixth place.
Rangers sign goalkeeper Jack Butland from Crystal Palace
Rangers have confirmed goalkeeper Jack Butland has agreed a four-year contract to join the club from Crystal Palace.
Butland, who has most recently been on loan at Manchester United, will officially move to Ibrox on July 1, subject to international clearance.
The 30-year-old has signed after first-choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor retired at the end of the season. Jon McLaughlin and Robby McCrorie remain under contract.
“I’m over the moon,” Butland told Rangers’ official website. “The club speaks for itself. No matter where you are in football, you know about Rangers Football Club. This is a huge opportunity for me, and I’m delighted to be here.
“I feel great and motivated at the age that I am, and I feel excited at what the future holds. Doing that at a club that is equally as passionate about winning and being at the top was huge for me.
“It’s an important summer for the club and we need to get off to a good start. Getting the work done early is hugely important, so that we’re settled and raring to go when we come back in.”
Butland joins Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling as new signings for Rangers and manager Michael Beale is happy to bring in a player of the goalkeeper’s experience.
Beale: “I am delighted that we have recruited Jack. It was clear from our first meeting that we have a strong alignment on football and his development moving forward.
“At 30, he is coming into the prime years of his career having already amassed huge experience with 300 appearances in senior football, including almost 90 in the Premier League.
“In addition, he has played for England at every level, including nine caps for the senior team and five for the Great Britain Olympic team.
“I feel that we have recruited an excellent goalkeeper and, importantly, a top person. We are delighted to have Jack and his young family arriving in Glasgow and look forward to seeing him excel in his time at Rangers.”
Steve Cotterill leaves role as Shrewsbury manager
Steve Cotterill has left his role as manager of Shrewsbury.
The 58-year-old had already said his position at the club was uncertain and the Shrews have now confirmed his departure.
A statement read: “The club would like to place on record their thanks to Steve for all his hard work and commitment during the last two and a half years, taking us from a relegation place in League One to 12th in the table and also for working from his hospital bed during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Cotterill guided the club to 12th in League One last season and spent 49 days at the Bristol Royal Infirmary after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia in 2021.
Cotterill, who joined the club in November 2020, released a statement though the League Managers’ Association.
“I’m proud of the work that has been done by everyone in the past two and a half years at the club,” he said. “From fighting relegation to a top-half finish. I am confident this team will continue its progression next season.
“Working through Covid was tough and I have to thank my incredible staff for their help throughout.
“I would also like to thank the players. It is a fantastic group that gave me absolutely everything, right up to the last game of the season. The relationship I had with them was very special.”
Man City’s Kyle Walker vows to make Champions League final after injury scare
Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has played down fears he could miss the Champions League final with a back injury.
The England international did not feature in an open training session on Tuesday as City continued preparations for Saturday’s clash with Inter Milan in Istanbul.
The 33-year-old looked in discomfort as he was substituted in the final minute of City’s FA Cup final triumph over Manchester United at Wembley.
But Walker was one of a number of players made available for media interviews later on Tuesday and he insisted the problem was not serious.
“I’m fine, I’m just getting old,” he told Sky Sports News. “I’m completely fine, it’s just an extra day of recovery.
“I’ve played a lot of minutes over the last number of weeks so the manager said, ‘Just stay inside and come Saturday you will be raring to go’.
“I’m fine, the minutes that I’ve played when everyone else was injured, I was there digging my heels in and getting through it. I won’t be missing the Champions League final for anything.”
Manager Pep Guardiola also said Walker’s absence from training was only precautionary.
“He has had a disturbance in his back,” said Guardiola at a press conference. “Yesterday he was not good, today he was a little bit better but we didn’t want to take any risks. We will see what happens in the next days.”
City are bidding to win the Champions League for the first time and complete a glorious treble after their Premier League and FA Cup successes this season.
They are also looking to erase the memory of their painful loss to Chelsea in the 2021 final.
As three-time winners, Inter boast the greater European pedigree but City will go into the match as firm favourites against the side that finished third in Serie A this term.
Guardiola, however, insists what has happened in the past – and even current form – counts for little now.
He said: “It’s really good to travel in a few days to Istanbul. We go together and it is a dream to be here.
“Two years ago we were there but in different situations with Covid.
“We’re going to try to do our best and we know the final is how you behave in that specific 95 minutes, not history.
“For history, they are better than us but it is about what you have to do to be better than the opponent in 95 minutes.
“It doesn’t count what you have done in the group stages or the Premier League or the FA Cup. We have to be better than them.”
Guardiola is comfortable with the tag of favourites.
“We are used to it,” he said. “Why should it be more dangerous? Accept the role and go out there knowing the quality of the opponents. We accept what people say, no problem.”
City’s form in the latter part of the season, when they reeled in Arsenal to win the Premier League and powered past Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reach this weekend’s showpiece, has been outstanding.
Guardiola acknowledges confidence is high in the City squad but insists there will be no complacency.
He said: “It is a final against a top team and we have to do it. We are confident, I’m so optimistic, but at the same time I cannot deny the quality of the opponent.
“I have never done that and especially not in the final of the Champions League.”
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