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Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Tuesday, 12 December 2017 01:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
London (Reuters): Manchester City beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford to go 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday while Liverpool and Everton drew 1-1 in a snowswept Merseyside derby at Anfield.
City’s victory marked the first time a team have won 14 consecutive English top-flight games in the same season and ended United’s run of 40 home games unbeaten in all competitions.
City now have 46 points from 16 games, with United staying second on 35, and look like the title is theirs to lose even if Guardiola was not about to get carried away.
“We won because we were better. We are still in December, if we have 11 points (lead) when we play the second derby in April then maybe I will tell you that we have the title,” said the Spaniard.
Champions Chelsea, who lost 1-0 at relegation-threatened West Ham United on Saturday, are third on 32 points with Liverpool squandering a chance to overtake them and staying fourth on 30.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp fumed after his side’s draw, with Everton’s former England captain Wayne Rooney equalising from the penalty spot after a sensational first-half goal by Mohamed Salah.
Salah’s 42nd-minute stunner sent the Egyptian clear of Tottenham Hotspur’s England striker Harry Kane as the league’s top marksman with 13 goals. Kane had scored twice in a 5-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday.
Rooney’s goal was his first in a Merseyside derby, a match he last featured in almost 14 years ago before moving to Manchester United.
“It’s always nice scoring against Liverpool, whoever you’re playing for,” he said.
In the day’s early match, Southampton and Arsenal also drew 1-1 with Charlie Austin putting the hosts ahead in the third minute at St Mary’s and Olivier Giroud heading in a late equaliser after coming on as a second-half substitute.
It was the 17th time Giroud had scored as a substitute for Arsenal, equalling Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record with Manchester United for most goals scored off the bench for a single club.
