EPL Wk 37 Review: City beat Leicester to lead with one game remaining

Manchester City will go into the last game of the season with the fate of the English Premier League title in their hands after a Vincent Kompany cracker put Leicester away at the Etihad.

When Vincent Kompany is an old man, slippers covering worn and battered feet, hot cocoa frothing in a cup against the backdrop of a crackling fire, he will tell the story of the day he won the English Premier League (EPL) with a 30-yard screamer.

It seemed improbable.

Impossible.

Even his teammates were imploring him not to shoot, pulling hair tendrils from their roots, as he cocked his foot back and let loose.

“Don’t shoot! Pass the ball!” Screamed his gaffer from the touchline.

Boom!

Top corner.

Manchester City went into their tie against Leicester City knowing that a win would put them into pole position going into the last day of the season.

Call it a cup final.

Phil Foden came into the side to replace Leroy Sané for only his third start of the season, and that was the only change for City. Leicester fielded an unchanged team from the one that poured puff on the Gunners powder the weekend before.

City hogged the first half chances, as Leicester players were forced back by the sheer force of their attacks. Foden brought the ball down expertly on his chest before swivelling and shooting straight at Kasper Schmeichel. Sergio Agüero got his head on a corner only to see Schmeichel save on the line after it had struck the post. And David Silva shot wide after a scrambled corner clearance from the Foxes.

The second half was more open as City poured forward in search of the goal.

Kyle Walker sent a sweet cross over to David Silva, and the Spaniard found the head of Raheem Sterling only for the England man to head over from close range. Ilkay Gündogan scraped a right foot shot wide, and the referee waved away a penalty appeal after two Leicester defenders conspired to send Sterling to the canvass with half an hour remaining.

Leicester had a rare opportunity to score on 62-minutes.

Harry Maguire broke up a Man City attack before surging forward in a lung-busting run down the left flank. Maguire squared the ball to James Maddison whose shot went wide of the post.

Then came the fireside moment.

Vincent Kompany picked up the ball, 30-yards from goal, and he thumped it into the top corner with his right peg for his first goal in over a year.

Leicester had one final opportunity to stick a needle in the water bed, when on 87-minutes, Hamza Choudhury picked out the former City forward Kelechi Iheanacho in the box, only for him to skew his shot wide with only Ederson to beat.

City’s win means they go into the final day of the season, facing Brighton at the Amex Stadium, a point clear, and with a +4 goal difference. Liverpool faces Wolves at Anfield on the same day. The computations are simple. If either side wins, and the other side doesn’t then the one that wins is the champion. If they both draw, City are the champions. If both teams lose then, City are the champions. If City loses, then Liverpool needs to beat Wolves by four goals or more to win the title. If Goal Difference and Goals Scored are the same, and that could happen as they are so close then we will have a Play-Off at a neutral ground.

Play-Off, please.

Results in Full

Everton 2 v 0 Burnley

Bournemouth 1 v 0 Spurs

West Ham 3 v 0 Southampton

Wolves 1 v 0 Fulham

Cardiff 2 v 3 Crystal Palace

Newcastle 2 v 3 Liverpool

Chelsea 3 v 0 Watford

Huddersfield 1 v 1 Man Utd

Arsenal 1 v 1 Brighton

Man City 1 v 0 Leicester

EPL Standings

1. Man City – 95
2. Liverpool – 94
3. Chelsea – 71
4. Spurs – 70
5. Arsenal – 67
6. Man Utd – 66
7. Wolves – 57
8. Everton – 53
9. Leicester – 51
10. Watford – 50
11. West Ham – 49
12. Crystal Palace – 46
13. Bournemouth – 45
14. Newcastle – 42
15. Burnley – 40
16. Southampton – 38
17. Brighton – 36
18. Cardiff – 31 (R)
19. Fulham – 26 (R)
20. Huddersfield – 15 (R)