liverpool title hopes crumble at Palace; Man City now favourites
liverpool regained the lead in the English Premier league but the crown slipped further from their grasp as they threw away a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw away to Crystal Palace on Monday.
The stunning outcome put liverpool a point above Manchester City, but City has a game in hand and can win its second title in three years with four points from its last two games. When asked if the title race was now over, liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers said, “Yes, it probably is,” and rued the irony of his team’s leading league position but fading title hopes.
“We’re going top with 81 points with a week to go in the season and we’re sat here devastated,” he said, insisting liverpool’s title challenge was not a one-season flash in the pan. “I’m here to fight, to win titles, and I’ll be relentless in my quest,” he added. “We’re trying to build something that’s sustainable.”
Overconfidence sowed the seeds of liverpool’s downfall against Palace, Rodgers said, and suggested his team at times was reminiscent of “Roy of the Rovers,” a British football comic strip famed for depicting swashbuckling play.
“We maybe thought we could play ‘Roy of the Rovers’ football and make up the goal difference (to City) but tonight was about winning the game,” he said. “We didn’t manage the game well at 3-0.”
liverpool was romping to a bonus big win to help its goal difference thanks to a first-half goal by Joe Allen before Daniel Sturridge and luis Suarez scored in quick succession in the second to be leading 3-0 by the 55th minute.
Then, Damian Delaney exposed liverpool’s vulnerability to counterattacks as he scored in the 79th, launching a dramatic turnaround and deflating the Reds. They didn’t recover, as Dwight Gayle cut the deficit to one two minutes later, and drew level with his second goal in the 88th.
Suarez, the league’s new player of the year, was in tears on the final whistle and covered his face with his shirt as he left the pitch, with his team highly unlikely to claim a first title in 24 years.
The title race is certain to go to the last day of the season on Sunday, and City’s superior goal difference means a win and a draw from its last two games will guarantee the title. City faces Aston Villa on Wednesday, and West Ham United on Sunday, both at home.
liverpool started strongly and seemed to have put the preceding 2-0 defeat to Chelsea behind it when Allen darted to the far post to head in Steven Gerrard’s corner, his first league goal in over two years.
leading only 1-0 at the break, liverpool came out fighting in the second half, forcing Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni to tip a Sturridge shot onto the post in acrobatic style, before Suarez missed an open goal on the rebound.
Sturridge doubled liverpool’s lead with a deflected shot on 51 minutes, and Suarez combined with Raheem Sterling to make it 3-0 with a calm low finish two minutes later.
Aguero out of Villa game
Manchester: Manchester City top-scorer Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Aston Villa, where victory would put City on the verge of securing the English Premier league title.
Aguero left the pitch with a groin problem soon after scoring in a 3-2 win over Everton on Saturday.
“He couldn’t recover 100 percent from his groin problem, so he is not in the squad list,” City coach Manuel Pellegrini said, adding the Argentine striker could return for Sunday’s season-ender against West Ham United.
Pellegrini says: “Maybe he can have some chances, we will see the way he improves during the week.”
Aguero has 28 goals this season.
A win against Villa would put City two points ahead of title rival liverpool with one round to go.