Manchester City have scored their eleventh success in a row with a late winning goal at Arsenal at the start of the English Premier League. The Spaniard Rodri provided in the third minute of stoppage time on New Year’s Day for the 2-1 (0-1) success of the English football champions at the Gunners. With 53 points, Pep Guardiola’s team confidently leads the league with eleven points ahead of Chelsea. Arsenal remain fourth with 35 points. Chelsea host third Liverpool FC for a top game on Sunday.
Without coach Mikel Arteta, who tested positive for the corona virus, who was Guardiola’s assistant at the Citizens for many years, Arsenal also showed his good form against the title favorites after four successes in succession. The reward followed after around half an hour: A pass from Kieran Tierney concluded the 20-year-old Bukayo Saka with the first goal in 2022 to take the lead.
After the break, referee Stuart Attwell was the focus of attention at one point or another. After an intervention by the video assistant, he pointed to the penalty spot after a pluck from the ex-Gladbacher Granit Xhaka on the jersey of city professional Bernardo Silva. Riyad Mahrez converted the penalty kick (57th). Almost in return, City’s Nathan Aké saved just short of his own line, Gabriel Martinelli put the margin on the post. Only two minutes later, Arsenal’s Gabriel saw the yellow-red card.
Guardiola then switched to Ilkay Gündogan, but the front runner remained without ideas for a long time despite the majority and significantly more possession in front of the Arsenal goal. In stoppage time Rodri was there and pushed the ball over the line to make it 2-1.
Klopp in quarantine
Jürgen Klopp had warned, admonished and criticized – now the team manager of Liverpool FC has to be quarantined on suspicion of a positive Corona test result and will miss the top game of the Premier League against Chelsea. The 54-year-old has “mild symptoms” and will be represented by his assistant Pepijn Lijnders on Sunday (5.30 p.m. / Sky). It was only on Friday that Liverpool announced three more corona cases within the team. Klopp did not mention the names of those affected. On New Year’s Day, the Reds finally reported abnormalities in four tests. In addition to Klopp, three members of the staff are also affected.
The game operation in England’s elite league has been mixed up by Corona for weeks. Because numerous teams are affected, games have already been canceled several times. Not only Klopp had warned the league for what he saw as a careless approach to the threat of the virus – Chelsea team manager Thomas Tuchel and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola also vehemently advocated more safety and consideration. Tuchel had recently said that he was “super worried” in view of the situation. Despite rising infections across the country, fans are still allowed in the stadiums, and unlike other top leagues, the Premier League does not take a winter break. And: unlike in the Bundesliga, for example, team managers in England are only allowed to make three substitutions per game.
On Monday, the Premier League announced the record number of 103 corona cases within one week (December 20-26). In order to better control the situation, tests are now being carried out much more often. Daily quick tests are part of everyday life again for players and officials, and the current rules also provide for two PCR tests per week. Liverpool’s formulation in relation to Klopp’s “suspected positive test result” could suggest a positive rapid test. This result would then have to be confirmed or refuted by a PCR test.
From a sporting point of view, it’s a huge loss for Liverpool. The game against the Blues is trend-setting – league leaders Manchester City threaten to hurry away. Liverpool is currently twelve points behind the leaders, Klopp’s team in third place has currently played two games less than Guardiola’s defending champion.