LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Manchester City mengakhiri tren negatif. Setelah kalah tiga laga berungtun, Manchester City kembali ke trek kemenangan seusai menang atas Tottenham Hotspur pada pertandingan pekan ke-34 Premier League - kasta teratas Liga Inggris.
Manchester City meraup poin penuh seusai memetik kemenangan 3-1 atas tuan rumah Tottenham Hotspur di Stadion Wembley, Sabtu (14/4/2018).
Tiga gol kemenangan The Citizens dicetak oleh Gabriel Jesus (menit ke-22'), penalti Ilkay Guendogan(25'), dan Raheem Sterling (72'). Tottenham hanya mampu membalas sekali melalui Christian Eriksen (42').
Kemenangan membuat mereka kokoh di puncak klasemen dengan koleksi 87 poin dari 33 pertandingan. David Silva cs unggul 16 angka atas Manchester United yang berada di peringkat kedua.
(Baca Juga: Olivier Giroud Semakin Sahih Jadi Sang Pengganti Super)
Kendati bermain di bawah tatapan mayoritas pendukung lawan, Man City tetap tampil ofensif dengan menebar 17 tembakan, berbanding delapan milik Spurs.
Hasilnya, tim asuhan Pep Guardiola membuka keunggulan pada menit ke-22 setelah Gabriel Jesus memaksimalkan umpan panjang Vincent Kompany.
Hanya tiga menit berselang, angin segar kembali berembus ke kubu City seusai mendapat penalti akibat pelanggaran Hugo Lloris terhadap Sterling. Sang eksekutor, Guendogan, berhasil membuahkan gol dari titik putih untuk membawa The Citizens memimpin 2-0.
Tottenham Hotspur are 2-0 down after 25 minutes, fastest for them in a Premier League home match since 18 April 2003 when Joey Barton netted the 2-0 for @ManCity after 21 minutes #TOTMCI #PremierLeague
It had been a dreadful period in an otherwise brilliant season for Manchester City as they looked to get back on track against Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to home in on the Premier League title.
City threw away a 2-0 lead to allow rivals Manchester United victory on a day they could have secured the championship with a win, and followed it up on Tuesday with a third successive defeat after being dumped out the Champions League by Liverpool.
Spurs were be hoping to make that four when they welcomed Pep Guardiola's side to Wembley as they aimed to strengthen their grip on a top four place. Relive all the action with MATTHEW SMITH as it happened.
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VIVA – Tottenham Hotspur menjamu Manchester City di Wembley Stadium dalam lanjutan Premier League, Minggu dini hari WIB 15 April 2018. Tim tamu sukses memenangkan pertandingan dengan skor 3-1. Pada menit-menit awal babak pertama, kedua tim langsung bermain terbuka. Tempo tinggi membuat saling jual beli serangan terjadi. Namun, ManCity yang sukses mencuri gol terlebih dahulu. Pada menit 22, Gabriel Jesus yang lolos dari jebakan offside mampu memperdayai kiper Tottenham, Hugo Lloris.
Selang tiga menit kemudian, petaka terjadi bagi Tottenham. Pelanggaran yang dilakukan Lloris berbuah penalti dan kartu kuning. Manajer ManCity, Pep Guardiola, mempercayakan Ilkay Guendogan sebagai eksekutor. Benar saja, dia tak menyia-nyiakan kesempatan untuk membawa The Citizens unggul 2-0. Tim tuan rumah berhasil memperkecil ketertinggalan melalui gol Christian Eriksen pada menit 42. Babak pertama pun berakhir dengan skor 2-1 untuk keunggulan ManCity. Memulai babak kedua, Tottenham coba mengambil alih permainan. Skuat asuhan Mauricio Pochettino memainkan operan-operan pendek sambil mengurung lini pertahanan ManCity. Keasyikan menyerang, gawang Tottenham justru bobol untuk ketiga kalinya. Raheem Sterling berhasil menyambar bola muntah di depan mulut gawang pada menit 72. Gol tersebut menjadi yang terakhir pada pertandingan ini. Tottenham harus pasrah menerima kenyataan takluk di kandangnya sendiri. Dengan kemenangan ini, ManCity total sudah mengumpulkan 87 poin dari 33 pertandingan. Mereka bertengger pada posisi puncak klasemen. Sedangkan Tottenham masih terpaku di peringkat ke-4 klasemen. The Lillywhites total mengoleksi 67 poin. Susunan pemain: Tottenham Hotspur: Hugo Lloris; Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies, Kieran Trippier, Dele Alli (Moussa Sissoko 84'), Mousa Dembele (Lucas Moura 73'), Eric Dier, Harry Kane, Erik Lamela (Son Heung-min 64'), Christian Eriksen. Manchester City: Ederson; Aymeric Laporte, Vincent Kompany, Fabian Delph, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Guendogan, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne (Yaya Toure 89;), Gabriel Jesus (Bruno Silva 76'), Leroy Sane (Nicola Otamendi 64'), Raheem Sterling.
Pep Guardiola will be playing golf with his son on Sunday afternoon, when the Premier League title could finally be handed to Manchester City, although the Catalan showed no signs of knowing that was exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson famously did when he won his first in 1993.
That year, it was a surprise defeat for Aston Villa against Oldham Athletic that sealed Manchester United’s title and if they lose to bottom-placed club West Bromwich Albion on Sunday afternoon, then history will repeat itself – although unhappily in United’s case. If it is not this weekend then it will be soon, and when young Marius Guardiola accompanies his father around the course he will surely detect a lightening of mood around a man who has been very intense for the last eight months.
Guardiola has previously stopped short of saying that the Premier League is the most difficult of the three nations’ championships he has conquered, but having emerged from the toughest week of the season, he said that this title had demanded the most. After three straight defeats encompassing a Champions League exit and a Mancunian humbling, this was a vintage City Guardiola victory – by no means perfect but done with full conviction in their attacking principles.
“In the end if you have 87 points with five games left it is because we have been outstanding,” Guardiola said. “When people say it is a failure because of what happened last week, they do not understand anything in football. The Champions League is seven games and you can win it. The league is every three days for ten months. I’m sorry, what these guys have done all season is much more important.”
Asked if he will keep up with the score from Old Trafford while out on the course, Guardiola cracked a rare joke, “Yes, bogey, double bogey, birdie”. As for the Premier League, he said that it had tested him even more than La Liga and the Bundesliga. “It is more difficult. Physicality, weather conditions, the amount of games. It is tough. The Premier League is so, so tough, that is why hopefully on Sunday if we win, it will remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives.”
