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Pep Guardiola's side have been crowned Premier League champions and these are 10 key moments that helped them get there

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  Sterling strikes late to fix Pep's 'worries'

  It may seem hard to believe now but back at the start of the season Pep Guardiola admitted he was "worried" about his side's failings in front of goal. Less than 24 hours later Raheem Sterling popped up with one of the scrappiest goals of the season, in the 97th minute at Bournemouth, to spark wild celebrations in the away end as City snatched a late winner.

  After not looking overly impressive in their first two games of the season, this was a chaotic end to their third, with Sterling sent off for his celebration and Sergio Aguero intervening as police man-handled fans who had jumped onto the pitch.

  At the time, it was suggested that Sterling’s scuffed effort would be a turning point in the season, or would at least get them through until they signed Alexis Sanchez in the days that followed…

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  Sadio Mane's red card derails Liverpool

  One of the most needlessly controversial moments of the season, but one which set City on their way in the league, and seriously derailed Liverpool at the same time.

  Mane, although he didn’t mean to do it, knocked out Ederson by kicking him in the face, so his red card was justified. City were leading 1-0 at the time but the space between Nicolas Otamendi at left centre-back and Benjamin Mendy at left-back was still being exploited by the Reds – until they went down to 10 men.

  Jurgen Klopp’s side then simply folded, with City flowing through them at will. It certainly seemed that Sterling’s goal at Bournemouth had sparked them into life in front of goal, even if Alexis’ planned move had fallen through. City won this one 5-0, and then scored 19 in their next four Premier League games.

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  Mendy injury forces tactical rethink

  Benjamin Mendy was one of City’s fundamental summer signings, designed to come in and provide the kind of dynamic attacking presence down the left-hand side that was simply lacking last year; the kind of thing Kyle Walker has been doing on the right-hand side all season.

  The Frenchman looked impressive in his first few performances, particularly with his superb low crosses from the left, but he got himself in a mess trying to tackle Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend back in September, and despite walking from the pitch, it was later confirmed that he would miss nine months with a serious knee ligament injury.

  City hadn’t signed another left-back during the summer and this was seen as one of the worst-case scenarios, especially ahead of a key game at Chelsea. Yet Guardiola found the answer and changed City’s approach.

  He converted Fabian Delph into a left-back who was comfortable slotting back into midfield when City had the ball, and tasked Leroy Sane, who had struggled for minutes at the start of the season, with providing City’s width on the left, with David Silva getting into the half spaces to provide an assist or goal.

  The plan clearly worked and Mendy's injury, as cruel as it was, has hardly hampered the Blues.

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  City prove their mettle at Chelsea

  City may have only scored the one goal at Stamford Bridge but it was arguably the most important of their season. Guardiola’s men were clearly in fine form but they went to west London only 12 months on from when things had fallen apart after a fine start to the 2016-17 season, and many were wondering if City were the real deal, or would simply suffer the same old problems. Kevin De Bruyne provided the answer.

  City dominated the champions with an impressive, confident performance, and the key moment was a precise strike from their Belgian midfielder, who had already began to show signs that he could become the pivotal player in this increasingly fine season. 

  City celebrated wildly in the dressing room and victory gave them the belief to go and implement their game plan at some of the toughest grounds in England and beyond.

In recent comments, the agent of Illan Meslier, Xavier Fleury, discussed potential interest in the Leeds United goalkeeper, as well as hinting at the shot-stopper’s future exit from Elland Road.

Since arriving at Leeds on what was originally a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2019 – with the club making Meslier’s signing permanent in a £5.85 million deal last summer – the 21-year-old has so far gone on to feature 36 times for the Whites, conceding 48 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets along the way.

So far this season, despite his tender age, the £10.8 million-rated Frenchman has highly impressed over his 25 Premier League appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, making an average of four saves and per game, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.04 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the top flight.

And, speaking recently on the LUFC Fan Zone podcast, as cited by Leeds Live, Fleury claimed that a number of big clubs could be interested in signing the France U21 international, as well opening the door to the ‘keepers potential exit from the club.

He said: “When you are so young, the youngest starting goalkeeper in Europe, for sure, big clubs could be interested, following him. Illan is starting at Leeds. He loves the club. Perhaps in one, two seasons, if you have a club like Real Madrid that knock on the door, who knows?”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Leeds not exactly having great strength in depth in the goalkeeper department – Kiko Casilla being Bielsa’s back up shot-stopper, with the club losing all three games the 34-year-old has featured in this season – keeping Meslier at the club is likely to be a priority for the Whites this summer.

However, with Fleury claiming that the 21-year-old is currently loving life at Elland Road, it would appear as if the Frenchman is in no rush to leave any time soon, which is likely to be very pleasing news for both Bielsa as well as fans of the club.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

Roy Hodgson has confirmed that Wilfried Zaha will miss Crystal Palace’s Premier League clash with Leeds United and “possibly much longer” after he suffered a hamstring injury against Newcastle United.

What’s the word?

The Ivory Coast international, 28, picked up a hamstring problem in their 2-1 win at Newcastle and will miss the trip to Elland Road on Monday night as a result.

With a short turnaround before Palace face Burnley at Selhurst Park on Saturday, it’s unlikely he will be available for selection for that clash, before a trip to Brighton a week today.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to keep him out but he certainly won’t be available for this game and it could even be much longer than that,” Hodgson told reporters.

“You never know with these hamstring injuries, Wilf is incredible in terms of recovery so I wouldn’t want to put a definite timeline on it.

“But it is a muscle strain and all muscle strains take time to heal.”

Big setback for Hodgson

There’s no doubting the fact that this will be a bitter pill to swallow for Hodgson as his side have built up some newfound momentum heading into the clash with Leeds.

Palace are currently 13th in the Premier League table, thanks in no small part to Zaha, who is the club’s top goalscorer with nine goals and two assists to show for his 19 starts.

His return of nine goals sees him ranked tenth in the top flight, a chart that is topped by none other than the likes of Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.

In his absence, Hodgson has plenty of options to choose from upfront, many with contrasting abilities, yet nearly all of them have been unable to cement their place in the side. Zaha has established himself as both the first-choice forward and the fulcrum of the attack and his presence will be sorely missed.

Christian Benteke may be the slightly more potent striker with three goals in 15 top-flight appearances, but Michy Batshuayi’s form as of late – one goal in his last three – could give him a more compelling case to start.

Eberechi Eze apart, the closest thing to a natural wide man who is capable of cutting inside from the flank is Jordan Ayew, who has been a constant for Hodgson but one who, given his recent struggles in front of goal (he’s only scored once all season), has done little to merit a place in the starting line-up.

That being said, as we explained earlier, Hodgson may be tempted to throw Jean-Philippe Mateta in at the deep end to test his mettle against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Either way, we don’t envy Hodgson the decision, that’s for sure. Palace could leapfrog Leeds and go tenth with a win, but will have to do so without the services of their chief talisman, which will be no easy task.

AND in other news, Roy Hodgson must recall James McArthur to face Leeds United…

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend proved costly against Arsenal as it ended all square at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.

Alexandre Lacazette came close to breaking the deadlock before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forced a fine save from Vicente Guaita.

But Roy Hodgson’s side dug deep and held firm against Arsenal to secure a point at a ground where Chelsea and Newcastle have previously come unstuck.

Having endured a torrid night at Molineux last time out, where they lost 1-0 to Wolves after Adama Traore scored his first goal of the season, it looked like Hodgson’s side hadn’t shaken off the hangover from the FA Cup when Aubameyang evaded Townsend to cut inside from the left flank and fire off a shot on target.

While Tyrick Mitchell may receive a portion of the blame for the early lapse in concentration, it would be wrong to pin the blame solely on the 21-year-old, who otherwise enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular, performance on the left-hand side of the back four.

In fact, Mitchell received the joint fourth-highest SofaScore rating out of all his teammates, including midfielder James McArthur. Despite his diminutive stature, the 5 ft 7 in left-back was a colossal at the back for Hodgson’s side – he made one tackle, four clearances and four interceptions, which was more than he is currently averaging per game this season so far, meaning he was a level above his average work rate in terms of his defensive shift.

The same can’t be said for Townsend, who was also utterly wasteful in terms of his possession, as the right winger managed to lose control of the ball ten times despite taking 52 touches throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Indeed, the 29-year-old lost 12 out of his 16 duels overall (75%) on the right wing last night, and was dribbled past five times, which shows that he was run ragged by the likes of Aubameyang and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all evening, with the pair winning the same number of individual battles between them, as per SofaScore.

On top of that, Townsend took one shot off target to sum up his frustrations after he blasted a shot well over the bar inside the first ten minutes of the first half following a promising passage of play, so it’s perhaps hardly surprising he failed to find the back of the net for the 16th game in a row this season. He also only managed to produce one accurate long ball from four attempts, which just goes to show the kind of quality Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha had to work with on the night. It’s fair to say that he lacked any real ambition and looked fairly sloppy on the ball.

The former England international didn’t take too kindly to Arteta’s tackle whilst he also intervened to separate Zaha and David Luiz, but those were his only real contributions of note as he endured a night to forget at the Emirates.

SofaScore graded Townsend as the worst Palace player on the pitch with his 6.5 score and quite rightly, too, after his lack of genuine quality in the final third proved costly as the two sides were forced to settle for a point apiece.

The Independent’s Karl Matchett was left unimpressed by his performance and noted he was ‘a hard-running but peripheral figure.’

The £8.5m-rated right winger, who earns around £55,000-per-week at Selhurst Park, was largely ineffective against an Arsenal side who otherwise struggled to break down the well-drilled visitors. He failed to record a shot on target for the second time in as many games in all competitions this season, via SofaScore.

Had he decided against lashing a hopeful shot into the stands, the score line may have read very differently indeed, as he could have created a chance for either Benteke or Zaha instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace shouldn’t renew Nathaniel Clyne’s contract…

What a difference a few games have made for Arsenal.

After losing to Everton in the Premier League, things looked really bleak for Mikel Arteta’s side, but the Gunners started to turn things around with an impressive 3-1 victory at home to rivals Chelsea.

That was then followed by up another couple of fine away victories against the likes of Brighton and West Brom respectively, and the momentum is well and truly with the north Londoners now.

On late Saturday afternoon, Arsenal entertain Newcastle at the Emirates as they begin their defence of the FA Cup, and Arteta is likely to ring the changes to keep his team fresh.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno is likely to keep his place, with Alex Runarsson certainly not showing enough in the time that he has been on the pitch that he can be a reliable no.2 for Arteta’s side.

In front of Leno, the Arsenal boss may wish to completely change things up, with the likes of Cedric, David Luiz, Gabriel and Ainsley Maitland-Niles ready to come in and give the first-team regulars a rest.

The midfield area could also see some changes, with Mohamed Elneny coming in to replace Granit Xhaka – Dani Ceballos may be one of the few players who actually keeps his place from the superb victory over West Brom last time out.

Further forward, the likes of Reiss Nelson, Nicolas Pepe and Joe Willock could all get their chance to impress, with Eddie Nketiah starting up front.

Predicted XI: Leno; Cedric, Luiz, Gabriel, Maitland-Niles; Ceballos, Elneny; Pepe, Willock, Nelson; Nketiah.

According to the PA news agency (via BT Sport), Glasgow Rangers are interested in signing Gustavo Hamer.

Gers eye Hamer

£1.8m-valued Hamer (Transfermarkt) made the move to Coventry from Dutch side PEC Zwolle just last summer.

Now, after having impressed for the Sky Blues so far this campaign, he has attracted the attention of the Ibrox outfit. The report says Hamer is one eyed for the future by Steven Gerrard and co.

Class act

Signed for £1.5m last summer (BBC), Hamer has been a revelation upon Coventry’s return to the Championship. Despite playing leads the way in their squad in both departments. He has also made more key passes per game than any other Coventry player (WhoScored).

Following Coventry’s 2-1 win over Millwall at the start of 2021, Ali Maxwell called Hamer a “class act” (EFL on Quest via Coventry Live). The Gers are in fantastic form so far this campaign as they lead the Premiership by 21 points. However, the likes of Scott Arfield and Steven Davis are well into their thirties – the latter is actually 36 – and are not representative of the club’s future. 23-year-old Hamer, therefore, could be exactly what the 54-time Scottish champions need beyond this campaign.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this rival player’s comments.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Glasgow Rangers are reportedly eyeing up a move for Rochdale winger Kwadwo Baah.

What’s the word?

Steven Gerrard has got Rangers miles ahead of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race and is looking at January additions to keep them there.

And it could see him trump Premier League club West Ham and European giants Bayern Munich and Juventus to the signing of the talented English teenager, according to The Athletic.

Baah has enjoyed a breakthrough season at the Spotland Stadium, with three goals and two assists to show for his seven starts from 13 appearances in League One.

But if Rangers want to organise a smash and grab they will have to act quickly before the transfer window closes this week.

Better than Brandon Barker?

Whilst the ever-reliable Ryan Kent is a shoe-in on the left wing, Gerrard has struggled to settle for a designated backup option behind the former Liverpool man. On the right-hand side, Rangers fans have borne witness to some remarkable players over the years, including Brian Laudrup, Dado Prso and of course Andrei Kanchelskis.

Kent aside, the same can’t really be said for the opposite flank, as until recently Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones have been the two battling to bag the substitute spot, although there are still questions over each. Jones is set to sign for Sunderland on loan until the end of the season while Barker has barely played since the start of the season.

It’s fair to say that Baah would be a significant upgrade on Barker and could in turn be seen as one for the future having impressed for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side so far this season. According to WhoScored, the 18-year-old’s attacking stats are already superior to Barker’s in almost every area this season.

He is currently averaging more key passes and dribbles per match and is fouled more times than the 24-year-old. Although Barker takes more shots, Baah has scored more goals (3) this season.

Rochdale boss Barry-Murphy recently hailed the “special talent” after he sparked a five-goal rout of League One strugglers Wigan.

If Gerrard is looking for suitable replacements on the left wing, then Baah would make a fine addition to the Rangers squad.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Rob Lee reacts to Rangers transfer interest in Billy Gilmour…

Manchester United will want to get back to winning ways following their defeat to Paris Saint-Saint Germain on Wednesday night when they travel to the London Stadium to take on West Ham.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side saw their four-game winning streak snapped after they slumped to a disappointing defeat to the French Ligue 1 defending champions at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford faces a race against time to face the Hammers having been forced off during the midweek defeat to PSG with what looked like an side-effect of the shoulder injury he sustained whilst away on international duty last month.

However, the England international is expected to return, although Saturday’s game may come too soon for Luke Shaw, who is working his way back to fitness. Otherwise Solskjaer has close to a fully-fit squad to choose from, with Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard also available for selection.

Here is our predicted line-up for Manchester United this afternoon, which sees Solskjaer ring four changes to the team that lost to the French giants.

Maybe Dean Henderson could come back in, but United’s undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper David de Gea has been in such fine form in recent weeks that we reckon Solskjaer will stick with his first-choice stopper this afternoon having been trusted for every single Premier League game so far this season.

Not only was Victor Lindelof lightweight, he was also largely anonymous against Paris Saint-Germain, so Axel Tuanzebe may be pushing for a recall to reunite with Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire to form the rest of the back four.

The 23-year-old is available once again after missing the Champions League clash with PSG due to suspension so could be in contention to start alongside the club captain.

Donny van de Beek could be handed a rare start next to Scott McTominay after Fred disgraced himself in the midweek defeat, which means Paul Pogba looks set to miss out.

Solskjaer will likely turn to Edinson Cavani to lead the line once more as Anthony Martial has suffered from an inconsistent run of form, so switching Rashford back to the left wing and bringing Juan Mata in on the right could be a tempting option for the club legend, who can also call upon Daniel James if required.

AND in other news, Amad Diallo could be Solskjaer’s ideal heir to Juan Mata at Manchester United…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has spoken about Liverpool’s chances of signing PSG striker Kylian Mbappe.

The Reds have been linked with a move for the French wonderkid, with rumours intensifying as a result of Liverpool’s Nike deal they signed earlier this year.

The young striker has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in European football in recent years, having moved to PSG from AS Monaco in a £165.7 million deal in 2018 after spending the previous season on loan.

Now rated at £162 million, Mbappe has been prolific in his time with Les Parisiens, with 103 goals and 59 assists to his name, in just 140 appearances for the club.

He has also been in sensational form this season, having contributed 11 goals and five assists in 11 appearances in Ligue 1, resulting in a superb average rating of 8.06.

Here’s what Palmer had to say about Liverpool’s chances of signing Mbappe when speaking exclusively to Football FanCast…

“Why not? The Premier League is the most marketable league in the world. If you’re a top player, at some point you want to have played in the Premier League. So, why not?”

Palmer seems to suggest that Mbappe will want to Premier League at some point in the future, so why shouldn’t that be with the Reds?

After all, PSG have won seven out of eight of the last league titles, so it could definitely be argued that the French league isn’t much challenge for the prolific forward, and he must try his hand in another top league if he wants to be appreciated as one of the best players in world football.

Of course, Mbappe has already won the World Cup with France but is yet to taste European success with PSG, so if they are unable to win the Champions League again this season, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him depart the club.

Whilst it would cost Liverpool a huge amount of money to sign the striker, he could be a top striker with the Merseyside club for the next 10-15 years and would perhaps take the Reds to another level, so maybe we will see Liverpool try and sign Mbappe at some point in the near future.

And, in other news… Klopp must sanction January exit for LFC liability with “a taste for the big games”

Times are tough for Celtic currently. They are in a rough patch as their last three games have seen them lose two and draw one.

The mood hasn’t been great, with the Hoops receiving a lot of criticism, so it is vital that Neil Lennon reverses the slump sooner rather than later, especially in the Premiership as they are six points behind first place.

However, there is some positive news coming out of UEFA which might make Lennon’s objectives slightly easier to achieve.

UEFA’s breaking news which benefits Celtic

Sky Sports journalist Pete O’Rourke reported: ‘Scottish Premiership clubs have received a major boost as UEFA confirmed Scotland will have two spots in the Champions League qualifying round next season.’

This ruling has come at the perfect time for Lennon

With the recent run of poor results, and Rangers opening up a commanding lead in the Premiership at the early stages, the Hoops would be worried if only one Champions League qualifying spot were available.

However, some of the pressure on Lennon may be eased, knowing that second would at least be good enough for Celtic to get into the qualifiers for Europe’s flagship club competition.

Having won the last nine Premiership titles to get into the Champions League annually, at least the Hoops would have that as a safety net for next season if they finish second domestically this time around.

In other Celtic news, a former Scotland manager has criticised one Hoops star following his poor form. Have a read of the article here!