Manchester City overcome Rodri dismissal to maintain 100 per cent record

By Sports Desk September 23, 2023

Manchester City overcame the dismissal of Rodri to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 and maintain their perfect start to the new Premier League season.

Phil Foden gave City the lead in the seventh minute when he fired home from Rodri’s lay-off, before Erling Haaland headed in a second in the 15th minute from Matheus Nunes’ cross.

Midfielder Rodri was shown a straight red card soon after the restart for squaring up to Morgan Gibbs-White and putting his hands on the throat of the Forest midfielder.

The Spaniard’s three-match suspension is set to add to Pep Guardiola’s selection problems, with the City boss only able to name eight substitutes – two of them goalkeepers.

City saw out the closing stages to make it six straight Premier League wins and move five points clear with their rivals all not in action until Sunday.

Luton fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against 10-man Wolves and pick up a first point in the Premier League.

Wolves had midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde sent off in the 38th minute for kicking out at Luton captain Tom Lockyer after sliding in for a tackle.

Pedro Neto gave the visitors the lead five minutes into the second half after latching onto a long ball.

The Hatters, though, were back on level terms in the 65th minute when Carlton Morris converted a penalty following handball from Joao Gomes.

Luton thought they have scored a late winner through Chiedozie Ogbene, but he was flagged offside.

Crystal Palace and Fulham played out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.

Raul Jimenez went close for the visitors late in the first half when he forced Sam Johnstone into a good save.

Willian spurned a great chance late on, but sent his low shot too close to the Eagles keeper.

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  • Premier League MD12: Lucky winners and unlucky losers Premier League MD12: Lucky winners and unlucky losers

    Pep Guardiola may have signed a new contract at Manchester City, but there was no turnaround in fortunes for the Premier League champions.

    City were humbled 4-0 by Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, losing a fifth straight game in all competitions.

    Liverpool capitalised on that result, coming from behind to beat lowly Southampton 3-2 on Sunday and moving eight points clear at the top in the process.

    Ruben Amorim made his bow as Manchester United boss in a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town at Portman Road, while Chelsea and Arsenal are hot on Man City's heels.

     

    We also saw a managerial departure, with Leicester City parting ways with Steve Cooper after four league matches without a win.

    But, who were the unlucky losers, and lucky winners, from the weekend's Premier League fixtures?

    Unlucky losers: Fulham

    Man City were not the only team to ship four goals on Saturday, with Fulham also having that unwanted badge of honour following their 4-1 home loss to Wolves.

    But while Wolves were excellent on the counter and clinical when their chances came, it is fair to say Fulham were unfortunate to concede four times, given they only gave up 1.3 expected goals against (xGA).

     

    Indeed, Fulham and Wolves both had 10 shots, while both teams also had 23 touches in the opponents' box.

    It was a bad day at the office for Marco Silva, but he can at least take solace that the numbers suggest they were somewhat unfortunate.

    Unlucky losers: Bournemouth

    Bournemouth were beaten 2-1 by Brighton on Saturday, as the Seagulls held off their south coast rivals despite Carlos Baleba's red card.

    David Brooks pulled one back for Bournemouth late on, as Andoni Iraola's team fell short of their 1.6 xG.

    Brighton, on the other hand, accumulated just 0.9 xG, the third-lowest total of any of the 18 games to have been played across Saturday and Sunday.

    Bournemouth had 19 shots but only got five of them on target. Brighton, on the other hand, sent four of their six attempts on target.

    Lucky winners: Tottenham

    Time for some controversy...

    Spurs were brilliant against City, with James Maddison marking his 28th birthday with a first-half double before Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson got in on the act after the break.

     

    Yet, the metrics suggest Tottenham were fortunate to keep a clean sheet, with City - who had 23 attempts - accumulating 2.1 xG.

    That is not to say Spurs were not impressive going the other way. They finished with 2.5 xG from just nine shots, showing they created high-calibre chances.

    But should it really have been 4-0? The numbers suggest not, but then again, stats must always be used within context and should not be all we go off.

  • De Bruyne describes 'chaotic' Man City scenes De Bruyne describes 'chaotic' Man City scenes

    Kevin De Bruyne conceded there has been some chaos behind the scenes at Manchester City, but refuted the suggestion there is a dark atmosphere.

    City have lost their last five games in all competitions, while they are eight points back from leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.

    Their dismal run of form continued with a shock 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham on Saturday.

    De Bruyne, who has featured just six times in the Premier League this season and made just four starts, says there is not a bad mood in the camp, though.

    "I wouldn't say dark, it's been a bit chaotic," said the Belgian ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Feyenoord.

    "I've seen so many people pass around the medical area, sport science, whose playing and not playing. There's been so many people playing who shouldn't have been playing.

    "The games against Sporting, Brighton and Bournemouth were all over the place. Tottenham was more normal.

    "I didn't see too much change, everyone is down about the five losses. You have to move on."

     

    City have already shipped 17 league goals this term, while they were beaten 4-1 by Sporting CP in their last European outing.

    Since their losing run started with a 2-1 loss to Spurs in the EFL Cup on October 30, City have conceded 14 goals from 10.6 expected goals against (xGA).

    "There's only so much you can control from the sides. It's not a nice feeling but it's fine," De Bryne added.

    "It seems like we're not really dealing with the moments when it goes bad. There's moments like the Tottenham game which we do really well. The main issue is both boxes. We're conceding too many goals. I don't think we played a bad game the other day but we lost 4-0."

    "If you give five chances against Tottenham, that's not that bad. They get two tap-ins. With the way we play, you have to accept there's more opportunity for teams to have a counter. At the moment, we're not dealing with this in a good way.

    "We're always going to give a chance away. We're giving it away too many times. When we give a chance at goal, it's basically a goal."

    De Bruyne is out of contract at the end of the season, though the 33-year-old is not overly concerned about his future.

    "I honestly don't know. At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen but then the thing [injury] happened in Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days and then it was eight, nine weeks. I put it all to the side," he added.

    "I'm not too worried. I'm fine. I'm happy, I just want to play good football again and the future, we'll see.

    "I only can really give you the answers, but I don't know. If there's no talks it will be my last year at the club, but I don't know.

    "I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury so I wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There's no rush, I don't feel uncomfortable, I'm not worried."

  • 'I'm probably more out than in' - Salah yet to be offered Liverpool extension 'I'm probably more out than in' - Salah yet to be offered Liverpool extension

    Mohamed Salah says he is "probably more out than in" at Liverpool as he is yet to receive an offer to extend his contract.

    The Egyptian is Liverpool's top scorer this season, having netted 12 goals in all competitions, but is in the final months of his current deal, which runs out at the end of the campaign.

    Salah became the first player to score in five successive Premier League appearances for the Reds with his two goals in the 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday, since the Egyptian himself in October 2021 (seven in a row).

    His second goal in that match was also his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions.

    Salah, who has scored 223 goals since joining from Roma in 2017, admitted he was disappointed with the current contract situation.

    "We are almost in December, and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club," he said. "I'm probably more out than in.

    "I'm not going to retire soon, so I'm just playing, focusing on the season, and I'm trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I'm disappointed, but we will see."

    Only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (12) has bettered Salah's tally of 10 goals this term.

    Salah is one of three high-profile Liverpool players in the final year of their contracts, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also approaching the end of their deals.

    "You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this," Salah added.

    "But in the end, it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December, and I haven't received anything yet about my future.

    "I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end, it is not in my hands or the fans' hands. Let's wait and see."

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