Man City tops Premier League table

Erling Haaland scored as Man City crushed Luton 5-1 in round 33, temporarily leading the Premier League table.

The 3-3 draw at Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals last week boosted Man City's morale. Returning to the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola said he did not need his strongest squad to welcome the new recruit Luton. Therefore, many pillars in the Man City squad such as Rodri, Phil Foden, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish were rested.

Haaland scored a penalty, bringing the score to 3-0 for Man City. Photo: Reuters

However, Guardiola still kept Haaland in the starting lineup. The Norwegian striker has not been in good form recently and failed to score against Real. The Man City coach probably wanted Luton to be a stepping stone for Haaland to relieve his stress as the season enters an important stage. Kevin De Bruyne did not play against Real, so he also started.

Having thrashed Luton 6-2 in the fifth round of the FA Cup in February, Man City had no reason to fear this opponent. The 18th-placed team's porous defense was seen as easy prey for Man City's attacking stars. The home team quickly headed for a big win with the opening goal in the second minute. Although he missed the chance to face the ball, luck was with Haaland in the second shot, when his volley hit the face of Japanese defender Daiki Hashioka and hit the net.

Continuing their momentum, Man City put tremendous pressure on Luton's goal. In the first half, they had a total of 19 shots and did not allow their opponents to shoot once. However, Luton's defense in general and goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski in particular played a commendable match. Their dedication in many situations even made Man City fans applaud.

Haaland volleyed the ball straight into Hashioka's face to open the scoring for Man City. Photo: Reuters

But with the lead, Man City were in no hurry. Even though they couldn't score after more than an hour, Guardiola's team still played quite leisurely. In the 64th minute, from a corner kick, Julian Alvarez crossed for Mateo Kovacic to volley into the roof of the net from 15 meters. Luton had a densely packed squad in front of the goal in this phase, but forgot to block the opponent's second line.

Luton made their first notable attack after that goal, Fred Onyedinma outplayed Josko Gvardiol in a power race down the right flank and crossed. Unfortunately for the visitors, a one-touch shot from new signing Cauley Woodrow hit the top of the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, Onyedinma brought down Jeremy Doku in the box. Haaland did not miss this delicious opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet. The Norwegian striker's shot to the left corner of the goal fooled goalkeeper Kaminski. After leading by three goals, Guardiola took De Bruyne off the field. Although the match was over, the Belgian midfielder still showed dissatisfaction. De Bruyne probably felt incomplete because he had launched many passes to create opportunities but none of his teammates were successful in taking advantage.

Gvardiol scored, sealing a 5-1 win for Man City. Photo: PA

In the 87th minute, Doku once again tormented Onyedinma. He dribbled, twisted his opponent's back and curled the ball into the net. Six minutes later, the Belgian made his mark again. This time, he passed back to Gvardiol, who fired the ball into the roof of the Luton net. It was the Croatian defender's second goal in two consecutive games after he scored against Real.

With this victory, Man City has 73 points after 32 matches, two points more than Arsenal and Liverpool but having played one more match. Next week, Guardiola's team will play Real again at Etihad before hosting Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Quang Huy

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/man-city-len-dinh-bang-ngoai-hang-anh-4733995.html