Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 win over rivals Manchester United and with just two games remaining this season, the title is now theirs.
City captain Vincent Kompany was on hand to head in the vital Blues goal late in the first half, meaning City are now level with United on 83 points and have superior goal difference. which should be enough to seal the title if City win their remaining two games. United had an eight-point lead just three weeks ago, but last night’s defeat, plus a shock defeat at Wigan and a 4-4 draw at home to Everton, has seen that lead wiped out and City on the brink of their first league title. since 1968.
Entering the game three points down on the reigning champions, City needed to win the game, while a draw for United would likely have been enough to secure a 20th league title for the Old Trafford side.
In a game with few chances, City seemed the more positive team from the start, while United had assembled a defensive team and opted to put Wayne Rooney as their lone striker and looked isolated as a result, in a game where the one the Reds barely threatened to score. The game had been billed as the biggest in Premier League history, but it largely fell short of expectations for a classic fixture.
In a dramatic turn of events, Manchester United have only picked up four points out of the last twelve available, which is all the more surprising given that the Reds are historically so clinical at this stage of the season. City now face an away game at Newcastle, where victory is far from inevitable, and then a home game against Premier League strugglers Queens Park Rangers. The Reds face Swansea at home and end with an away game at Sunderland, but even winning those games may not be enough to retain their title as City have a superior goal difference of eight goals.
United’s defensive approach to the game frustrated City from the start, with the home side’s best chances falling to Sergio Aguero, but his first two attempts were deflected. The Blues were looking to be a much stronger side towards half time and their efforts were finally rewarded when David Silva’s corner was headed in by Kompany who headed the ball past United goalkeeper David de Gea towards goal.
Manchester City are unbeaten at home this season, winning seventeen and drawing one of their eighteen
Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium this season. The Blues are now on the brink of their first League title in over forty years, a feat that seemed impossible just a few weeks ago.