MANCHESTER, UK: Rodri’s late equalizer extended Manchester City’s year-long unbeaten record at home but a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday handed Liverpool and Arsenal a huge boost in the Premier League title race.
Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea a first-half lead on his return to the Etihad and City were headed to a first defeat on home soil for 34 games until Rodri’s deflected effort seven minutes from time.
City move four points behind leaders Liverpool and two adrift of Arsenal, but have a game in hand on both their title rivals.
A 3-1 Champions League win in Copenhagen in midweek was City’s 11th consecutive victory in all competitions as they appeared well set to defend the treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup they won last season.
But Chelsea exposed chinks in the champions’ armor.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have often saved their best performances for the biggest challenges during a difficult season for the Blues.
Chelsea took points off all three title contenders at home earlier in the season and finally produced a counter-attacking display on the road that offers Pochettino hope ahead of next weekend’s League Cup final against Liverpool.
Chelsea should have led much earlier in the first half as Nicolas Jackson failed to beat Ederson when clean through after a slick counter-attack cut City wide open.
Pep Guardiola’s men did not learn their lesson as another ex-City man Cole Palmer sent Jackson in behind and he picked out Sterling, who coolly cut inside Kyle Walker and fired into the far corner on 42 minutes.
Sterling’s celebrations were muted, but the goal would have been greeted with glee in Merseyside and north London.
Erling Haaland had headed over City’s only clear chance of the opening 45 minutes, but they flew out of the blocks after the break.
Kevin De Bruyne’s dipping free-kick landed on the roof of the net before Sterling was exceptionally lucky to avoid conceding a penalty for bringing down Walker inside the area.
However, as City chased an equalizer they became even easier to pick off on the counter.
Ederson produced a stunning save to deny Sterling his second and Ruben Dias needed to head Ben Chilwell’s follow-up effort off the line.
Haaland’s pace and power finally took him clear of the Chelsea defense 25 minutes from time, but Djordje Petrovic was equal to his deflected effort at the near post.
The Norwegian’s night to forget was then rounded off when he left the 53,000 capacity crowd aghast as he headed well off target with the goal gaping from a perfectly-weighted De Bruyne cross.
City did at least salvage a point as Rodri maintained his own personal year-long unbeaten record.
The last time the Spaniard was on the losing side in a City shirt was February 5, 2022.
The man who scored the winner in last season’s Champions League final needed the aid of a deflection as his driven effort flew into the top corner off Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea were penned inside their own box from then on and had to survive a VAR check for a penalty deep into stoppage time as the ball brushed off Levi Colwill’s arm.
An unexpected point lifts Chelsea back into the top half of the table and within six points of the top six.
Rodri salvages point but Man City stumble in Premier League title race
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Rodri salvages point but Man City stumble in Premier League title race
- Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea a first-half lead on his return to the Etihad
- City move four points behind leaders Liverpool and two adrift of Arsenal
Real Madrid’s winning run surprisingly ends in loss at Espanyol
- Espanyol inched two points clear of the drop zone, while Madrid’s lead was cut to one point after Atletico Madrid beat Mallorca 2-0 earlier
MADRID: Real Madrid’s winning run ended in stunning fashion after losing at relegation-threatened Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday in La Liga.
Defender Carlos Romero’s late goal beat the La Liga leader and moved Espanyol out of the bottom three.
Espanyol inched two points clear of the drop zone, while Madrid’s lead was cut to one point after Atletico Madrid beat Mallorca 2-0 earlier.
Madrid, which found out on Friday that it will face Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoff round, traveled to Espanyol with 10 victories in its last 11 matches in all competitions.
It dominated and Vinícius Júnior thought he gave the visitors the lead in the 21st minute but it was ruled out due to a foul by Kylian Mbappé on Espanyol midfielder Pol Lozano.
Madrid was made to pay for its missed opportunities five minutes from time when Romero volleyed in Omar El Hilali’s cross, much to the home fans’ raucous — and surprised — delight.
Back to winning ways
Atletico went into its match against seventh-placed Mallorca having lost both of its last two league matches and with only two wins in its last four games after a run of 15 consecutive victories.
It took the lead in the 26th minute when Giuliano Simeone sprinted down the right before rolling the ball across the edge of the area for Samuel Lino to fire into the bottom right corner.
Rodrigo Riquelme hit the crossbar with a free kick two minutes from time and provided the through ball for substitute Antoine Griezmann to run onto and delightfully chip the goalkeeper and seal the match in stoppages.
Fifth-placed Villarreal crushed bottom club Real Valladolid 5-1 and Getafe drew with Sevilla 0-0.
In-form Dembele hits hat-trick again as PSG thump Brest
- Luis Enrique’s side are still unbeaten domestically this season and now sit 13 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table
PARIS: Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick for the second time in four days as Paris Saint-Germain hammered Brest 5-2 on Saturday in a dress rehearsal of the upcoming Champions League clash between the two sides.
Dembele followed up his three-goal haul in Wednesday’s 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart which saw PSG secure a place in the knockout phase play-offs of Europe’s elite club competition.
The France winger opened the scoring in the first half, and netted two more after Romain Del Castillo had briefly brought Brest level.
Ludovic Ajorque pulled another one back for the home side to set up a grandstand finale, but substitute Goncalo Ramos wrapped up the win for PSG with a late double.
Luis Enrique’s side are still unbeaten domestically this season and now sit 13 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
Marseille, who are second, can narrow that gap a little when they host Lyon on Sunday, but PSG are cruising to their 11th French league title in 13 years.
Dembele, meanwhile, is loving playing in a central attacking role rather than his traditional position wide on the right.
He has now scored 14 goals in his last nine games in all competitions, and is Ligue 1’s leading marksman with 14 for the season.
“I am well positioned in the number nine role. I owe it to myself to score goals,” Dembele told broadcaster beIN Sports.
“It was important to win today to keep our good run going and now we will see what happens in the Champions League.”
PSG’s record against domestic opponents this season means Brest will surely be dreading having to face Luis Enrique’s side again over two legs in the Champions League.
The teams will meet in the first leg on February 11 in Guingamp, where Brest are having to host Champions League games this season as their own Stade Francis-Le Ble does not meet UEFA requirements.
They were in their usual home stadium for this game, but they could not stop PSG making it 14 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Bradley Barcola raced onto a through ball before squaring for Dembele to open the scoring just before the half-hour mark.
Brest, who lost 3-0 against Real Madrid in midweek, came out fighting after the break and drew level five minutes into the second half thanks to a lovely low strike by Del Castillo from the edge of the box.
However, the visitors were back ahead before the hour mark as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was denied in the box but the ball broke for Dembele to score.
He then completed his hat-trick soon after, having been picked out by a superb Lee Kang-in pass.
Ajorque’s terrific hit made it 3-2, but Ramos came on for Dembele and made it 4-2 on 89 minutes at the end of a counterattack led by Desire Doue, who had replaced Kvaratskhelia.
Ramos, the Portugal striker, then scored again deep in injury time, his eighth goal of the season coming as he tried to set up a teammate but saw the ball break back to him.
Brest are eighth, four points outside the European places for next season.
Monaco play Auxerre and Lille host Saint-Etienne in Saturday’s other matches.
Al-Ittihad fight back to keep pace with Al-Hilal in Saudi Pro League
- Win puts Al-Ittihad on 46 points, behind leaders Al-Hilal
- Title-chasing Tigers recover from 2-goal deficit to grab win
EDDAH: Al-Ittihad had to work hard to defeat Al-Kholood 4-3 on Saturday and stay within striking distance of Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal.
Two goals down early on, the Jeddah giants fought back for a win that puts them on 46 points, behind Al-Hilal only on goal difference.
The title-chasing Tigers had a terrible start, however, with William Troost-Ekong putting the visitors ahead after 15 minutes, and Myziane Maolida adding a second eight minutes later.
The hosts soon responded, with Abdulrahman Al-Oboud, a player in fine form, scoring within the half-hour. All the work was done by Houssem Aouar, who turned outside the box and dribbled through the defense only for his shot to be blocked. But his team-mate was there to bundle home.
Then, nine minutes into added first-half time, Steven Bergwijn scored from the spot after Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti was brought down in the area to ensure that the teams went in level at the break.
Almost immediately after the restart, Al-Ittihad were ahead for the first time thanks to Hassan Kadesh, who volleyed home a N’Golo Kante cross from close range to the delight of the home fans.
The victory was sealed just after the hour as Bergwijn got his second, scoring from a rebound off a Karim Benzema shot that was initially saved.
Al-Kholood made it 4-3 inside injury time as Maolida got his second, but Al-Ittihad took the win.
Al-Qadsiah, the league’s in-form team, were shocked to be held to a 1-1 draw at bottom club Al-Fateh. The easterners, who had won nine of the last 10, took the lead after just two minutes, with Julian Quinones scoring.
Two minutes after the restart, however, Matheus Machado scored to earn Al-Fateh a share of the spoils and ensure that Al-Qadsiah, newly promoted, stay in fourth on 38 points — behind Al-Nassr on goal difference.
Bayern survive late Kiel fightback to go nine points clear
- The full-time whistle was met with relief around the Allianz Arena
- “None of us are happy that we won 4-3 here,” Jamal Musiala, scorer of Bayern’s first goal, told Sky Sport
BERLIN: Bayern Munich stretched their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to nine points on Saturday with an extraordinary 4-3 victory over Holstein Kiel.
Bayern led 4-0 as Harry Kane scored twice, but Finn Porath replied for Kiel before Steven Skrzybski’s stoppage-time double threatened to steal an unlikely point.
The full-time whistle was met with relief around the Allianz Arena.
“None of us are happy that we won 4-3 here,” Jamal Musiala, scorer of Bayern’s first goal, told Sky Sport. “We have to have the mentality to work for 90 minutes and avoid conceding goals.”
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was also irritated with the manner in which his team ended the game.
“It was a pretty complete game until the 80th minute. But we also played against a team that was fighting for every moment,” Kompany told reporters.
“I thought we started the second half really well, but in terms of how we finished the game, that’s something we’ll have to review with the players.”
With Bayern’s closest title rivals, Bayer Leverkusen, hosting Hoffenheim on Sunday, Kompany’s side took their chance to widen the gap between them and the champions.
The Bavarians went ahead in the 19th minute when Musiala finished a beautiful team goal that involved a quick interchange of passes between Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olize and then Musiala, who steered in his 10th league goal of the season.
Kiel had almost made it to half-time just a goal behind but with less than a minute of stoppage time to go, Bayern struck a killer blow.
Kingsley Coman beat his man on the left and lofted a cross onto the head of Kane, who couldn’t miss from close range. Kane scored another in the first minute of the second half, heading home Raphael Guerreiro’s pinpoint cross.
It was Kane’s 55th league goal in 50 appearances, another Bundesliga goalscoring record for the England captain.
“To have 55 in 50 is obviously a proud feeling but as always with me it’s about the next 50 games and seeing how many more I can get,” said Kane.
Serge Gnabry joined the party with a fine goal, bringing a high ball under his spell with his right foot and volleying in with his left.
Kiel struck back with a beautifully-executed strike by Porath which seemed little more than a consolation, even after the fourth official indicated five additional minutes.
Skrzybski’s late brace nearly embarrassed Bayern but the hosts limped over the line as wounded victors.
Borussia Dortmund picked up a slim 2-1 victory at struggling Heidenheim in their final game before Niko Kovac takes charge, following the recent sacking of coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund went in front as Heidenheim couldn’t clear a corner and Serhou Guirassy scored from close range.
It was the Guinean striker’s fifth goal in his last four games and followed a double in the Champions League in midweek against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Heidenheim came into the contest without a win in their previous 14 league games and occupying the relegation play-off position.
The game remained tight until the hour when Ramy Bensebaini drilled a low cross in from the left and substitute Max Beier made a difficult finish look easy.
Dortmund became their own worst enemies, conceding 18 seconds after the restart as Mathias Honsak cut their lead in half.
But Dortmund held firm and weathered some late pressure to pick up a first league win since December 22, snapping a four-game winless streak in the Bundesliga.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Germany international Tim Kleindienst scored a late winner for Borussia Moenchengladbach in a 2-1 victory at Stuttgart.
Gladbach led when Nathan N’Goumou rifled into the roof of the net but a Nico Elvedi own goal soon after the break levelled the contest.
But a slick Gladbach counter-attack saw Lukas Ullrich pick out Kleindienst, who tapped in the winner.
Freiburg picked up a 1-0 win at bottom-placed Bochum, with Kiliann Sildillia nodding in his first Bundesliga goal.
St. Pauli were denied victory when Augsburg teenager Mert Komur struck late to ensure a 1-1 draw.
RB Leipzig moved back into the top four despite being held 0-0 at struggling Union Berlin.
Aston Villa’s Duran joins Saudi club Al Nassr for reported £64 mln
- The 21-year-old Colombian scored Villa’s winner in their memorable Champions League victory against Bayern Munich earlier this season
- “Aston Villa can confirm that Jhon Duran has joined Al-Nassr for an undisclosed fee,” the Premier League club said
LONDON: Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran joined Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr on Friday in a deal worth a reported £64 million ($79 million).
Duran was unable to break into Villa’s team on a regular basis despite a series of impressive substitute appearances.
The 21-year-old Colombian scored Villa’s winner in their memorable Champions League victory against Bayern Munich earlier this season.
“Aston Villa can confirm that Jhon Duran has joined Al-Nassr for an undisclosed fee,” the Premier League club said in a statement.
“The striker moves to Saudi Arabia having scored 12 goals for Villa this term, including the winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
“Everyone at Aston Villa would like to wish Jhon all the best in the next step of his professional career.”
Duran will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in the Al Nassr attack after completing his move on the Saudi transfer deadline day.
It is the second biggest transfer fee Villa have received behind the £100 million Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish.
Duran joined Villa from Chicago Fire for £18 million in January 2023, scoring 20 goals in 78 appearances, but making just seven league starts.
Duran’s exit means Villa are almost certain to keep England striker Ollie Watkins, who had been the subject of a reported £60 million bid from Arsenal.
Villa boss Unai Emery said earlier on Friday that Watkins had told him he wanted to stay with the club.
