Phil Foden climbed off the naughty step to ship Manchester Metropolis into the brand new 12 months with an eight-point lead on the high of the Premier League.
Foden’s first-half aim was sufficient for Metropolis to safe a 1-0 win at Brentford and tighten their grip on the title race after slip-ups by Liverpool and Chelsea.
Foden and Jack Grealish had been benched for Metropolis’s wins over Newcastle and Leicester after they had been pictured on an evening out following the 7-0 dwelling win over Leeds.
However the England pair had been again within the beginning line-up in west London, and Foden’s aim made it an ideal 10 wins in a row for Pep Guardiola’s defending champions.
The calendar-year stats churned out at this stage of the season normally have little relevance, however Metropolis’s warrant a point out.
They’ve set English top-flight data for probably the most victories, 36, and probably the most away wins, 19, within the final 12 months, whereas their tally of 113 objectives can be a Premier League document.
Brentford have overwhelmed Arsenal, held Liverpool and given Chelsea a fright this season however with 11 first-team gamers lacking – the suspended Christian Norgaard and calf-injury sufferer Bryan Mbeumo the newest absentees – this had the potential to be a protracted and painful evening towards a facet who had scored 30 objectives of their earlier 9 wins.
It didn’t prove that method, although. In truth, after 10 minutes of fixed, if quite toothless, Metropolis possession it was Brentford who created the primary actual possibilities.
When Metropolis gave the ball away on the midway line Frank Onyeka raced via on the counter-attack earlier than firing a low shot which Ederson gathered.
Moments later Joao Cancelo needed to head clear off the road after Yoane Wissa’s mishit shot bounced awkwardly throughout Ederson’s aim.
However with their common ruthless effectivity, Metropolis promptly swept up the opposite finish and scored seconds later, Kevin De Bruyne whipping in a first-time cross from the proper which Foden expertly guided dwelling along with his in-step.
The remainder of the primary half was pretty uneventful, aside from the rising niggle between Fernandinho and Ivan Toney which culminated within the Brentford striker giving his adversary a delicate tread on the shin as he lay on the ball.
Brentford had been defending stoically, not least in stoppage time when Ethan Pinnock’s header denied Grealish – who seemed just a little misplaced in his function as false 9 – a easy end on the far put up.
Metropolis may, and possibly ought to, have scored extra after the break. Lower than a minute into the second half Foden virtually had one other, his glancing header from one other De Bruyne cross flying vast of the far put up.
Foden, now enjoying the central attacking function with Grealish pushed out on the left, had the ball within the web 4 minutes later, however he was offside when he nodded in Gabriel Jesus’ cross.
Then De Bruyne hit the close to put up with a skidding effort from the sting of the world and Fernandinho blazed a volley over.
Three minutes from time the ball was within the Brentford web once more, however VAR adjudged Aymeric Laporte was simply offside when he headed in De Bruyne’s free-kick, and for as soon as free-scoring Metropolis needed to accept simply the one, which was sufficient to make sure a cheerful new 12 months for Guardiola and his facet.
Kaynak: briturkish.com
