A superb solo goal by Christian Pulisic and a second-half Willian penalty on Thursday earned Chelsea a 2-1 home win over Manchester City, a result that handed Liverpool the Premier League title.
The result failed to tell the story of a fast and incident-filled encounter where City dominated, claiming 65 percent possession, but needed an exquisite free-kick from former Chelsea player Kevin de Bruyne to get on the score sheet.
Chelsea had to defend, but took their chances to move five points ahead of Manchester United in the battle for fourth place and a coveted UEFA Champions League spot.
Photo: AFP
The ever-energetic Pulisic, who was rewarded with a start by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard after coming on as substitute to score against Aston Villa on Sunday, exploited a mix-up between Benjamin Mendy and Ilkay Guendogan after a City set-piece.
The American ran from the halfway line before confidently slotting the ball past Ederson to open the scoring in the 36th minute.
De Bruyne put City level with his free-kick that rose over the wall and dipped into the net 10 minutes into the second half.
City were all over the London side at the start of the second half, as if looking to wear them down on a warm evening.
There were chances for Raheem Sterling, who hit the post when through on goal and sent another ball just wide, while Mendy, De Bruyne and substitute David Silva were also constant threats down the wings.
It was during a rare foray into the City area that Chelsea earned quick chances for Pulisic and substitute Tammy Abraham, before Fernandinho performed a volleyball-like slap off the line and the video assistant referee confirmed the penalty.
Fernandinho was sent off and Willian calmly scored from the penalty spot in the 78th minute.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was quick to praise the champions Liverpool after the match.
“Well deserved. They [Liverpool] have played an incredible season,” the Spaniard told the BBC. “Two seasons ago, we were 100 points and they finished more than 25 points behind. Last season they didn’t recover the distance and this season they went the distance. We have to learn from this season and improve for the next one.”
Elsewhere, Arsenal claimed their first points since the COVID-19 suspension with a 2-0 win at Southampton, while Burnley defeated struggling Watford 1-0 at Turf Moor.
Additional reporting by staff writer
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
RSS