City sent to fifth defeat with Tottenham rout

AP:

IT STARTED as an evening of celebration for Manchester City. It ended with the four-time defending Premier League champions conceding four goals and falling to a fifth-straight loss in all competitions as they face a deepening crisis in a season that is threatening to unravel.

A 4-0 defeat to Tottenham yesterday left City five points behind league leader Liverpool, having played a game more, and with manager Pep Guardiola questioning whether he could get their title challenge back on track.

“I would say when you lose three Premier League (games) in a row, the wrong thing to say is we are going to be champions,” Guardiola said.

“But the reality is here, we have to do it guys. We have to break (the run), start to win games.”

Two goals from James Maddison inside 20 minutes at the Etihad Stadium stunned the home crowd, which had been treated to a light show before kickoff to mark midfielder Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or award for the best football player in the world.

With Guardiola also having signed a two-year contract extension this week, there was double reason to celebrate. But City’s latest loss highlighted onfield problems that he is struggling to stop. Pedro Porro scored a third for Tottenham after halftime and substitute Brennan Johnson added a fourth in the third minute of stoppage time.

Defeat extended what was already Guardiola’s worst losing streak in a glittering coaching career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City.

It also handed Liverpool a perfect opportunity to tighten their grip on the title race when they play last-place Southampton today. City play Liverpool at Anfield next weekend.

Rivals are also closing in on second-place City, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton all winning yesterday to move within a point of Guardiola’s team.

“If in the end we don’t win (the title) it’s because we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola said. “We won it in the past because we deserved it.”

After losses to Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting Lisbon and Brighton, City were looking to get the season back on track with a win that would have closed the gap to Liverpool to two points.

But a flying start from Spurs soon put the home team on course for another loss as Maddison volleyed in from close range in the 13th minute and produced a delicate finish to lift the ball over Ederson for his second in the 20th.

Porro blasted in a third after a swift counter in the 52nd and Johnson completed City’s misery and leave Guardiola to admit his players were “fragile” after the latest loss.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton are six points behind Liverpool after taking the chance to keep the pressure on Arne Slot’s team.

Third-place Chelsea beat Leicester 2-1 in the early kickoff and Arsenal, in fourth, won 3-0 against Nottingham Forest. Fifth-place Brighton won 2-1 at Bournemouth to maintain their outstanding start to the season under new coach Fabian Hurzeler.

Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea on course for victory at King Power Stadium, with Jordan Ayew scoring for Leicester with a second-half stoppage-time penalty.

Jackson showed good close control in the box before firing Chelsea in front with a clever finish in the 15th minute. It was the Senegal striker’s seventh goal in 13 appearances this season.

Fernandez headed in Chelsea’s second in the 75th after Jackson’s header was saved by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. Ayew’s penalty came too late for Leicester to mount a fightback.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

Leicester 1-2 Chelsea

Fulham 1-4 Wolves

Everton 0-0 Brentford

Arsenal 3-0 Forest

Bournemouth 1-2 Brighton

Villa 2-2 Palace

City 0-4 Tottenham