Crucial miss by Mahrez could cost Manchester City the championship


Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 4:57 PM• Tom Rofekamp

Manchester City spilled expensive points on Sunday in the heat of the title fight. A visit to West Ham United looked like an absolute disaster for Pep Guardiola’s side, as they trailed 2-0. After rest straightened the Citizens however, the back and dragged a 2-2 draw out of the fire. The Premier League leader even had an excellent chance of victory in the final phase, but Riyad Mahrez encountered Lukasz Fabianski on his penalty. This gives City Liverpool the opportunity to reach one point on Tuesday with as many rounds to go.

The game at the London Stadium was all about the farewell to Mark Noble, who experienced his last home game in the service of West Ham after eighteen years in the first team.
The captain of the Hammers got their hands dirty with the press present, by leaving them a stylish note in which they were extensively thanked for the past years. However, Noble had to watch from the bench as City dictated the game from the first minute. Jarrod Bowen’s opening goal came completely out of nowhere.

A high ball from Pablo Fornals was completely miscalculated by the visitors’ defence, leaving Bowen alone on Ederson. ‘s top scorer the Hammers The Brazilian artfully passed around and finished off nicely with the left: 1-0. City went looking for the equalizer at two hundred percent, but attempts by Kevin de Bruyne (twice), Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko all ended up next to, over or in the hands of Lukasz Fabianski. It got even worse for the frontrunner.

Bowen again escaped the City defense after a cunning ball from Mikhail Antonio and this time outsmarted Ederson with a low shovel in the far corner. A horror scenario seemed to be unfolding for Josep Guardiola’s team, but shortly after the break, Jack Grealish provided some breath. The midfielder completed the connecting goal after an unfortunate defense from Rodri. City tightened the reins once more, but continued to find Fabianski in his way. Guardiola’s selection did not get the ball behind the Pole; it needed some help from the opponent.

Riyad Mahrez brought the ball from a free kick in front of Fabianski’s goal and saw Vladimír Coufal work it unluckily behind his own goalkeeper. It still wasn’t enough for City; only a win would keep pursuer Liverpool at a somewhat safe distance. Mahrez got the chance to make that happen. Gabriel Jesus went down after a charge from Craig Dawson and after a VAR check, City were awarded a penalty. Mahrez went after the ball but saw Fabianski make a great save. The ball is now in Liverpool’s court, which will visit low-flyer Southampton next Tuesday. Noble was allowed to come in for the last ten minutes at West Ham, which is still involved in the battle for direct qualification for the Europa League.

No. Team m W G V † Pnt
1 Manchester City 37 28 6 3 72 90
2 Liverpool 36 26 8 2 65 86
3 Chelsea 36 20 10 6 42 70
4 Tottenham Hotspur 37 21 5 11 24 68
5 Arsenal 36 21 3 12 11 66
6 Manchester United 37 16 10 11 1 58
7 West Ham United 37 16 8 13 11 56
8 Wolverhampton W. 37 15 6 16 -3 51
9 Leicester City 36 13 9 14 0 48
10 Brighton & Hove Albion 37 11 15 11 -4 48
11 Crystal Palace 36 10 15 11 4 45
12 Aston Villa 36 13 5 18 -1 44
13 Brentford 36 12 7 17 -8 43
14 Newcastle United 36 11 10 15 -21 43
15 Southampton 36 9 13 14 -20 40
16 Everton 35 10 6 19 -19 36
17 Leeds United 37 8 11 18 -38 35
18 Burnley 36 7 13 16 -18 34
19 Watford 37 6 5 26 -42 23
20 Norwich City 37 5 7 25 -56 22