Manchester City took a huge step towards regaining the English Premier League crown with a stunning win over Liverpool at Anfield.
Pep Guardiola’s men visited the home of last season’s champions and put on a show, strolling to a 4-1 victory. That result stretched the Cityzens’ stats for the campaign to 15 wins and five draws against just two defeats. They currently enjoy a five-point cushion over nearest challengers and city rivals Manchester United in second.
That show of strength on Merseyside helped win over any remaining doubters, including traders at the best betting sites for football who moved quickly to slash their odds on Man City to win their seventh English top-flight title and first since 2019.
Persistence pays off
Entering Sunday’s match as the form team of the two, Manchester City were held and frustrated by Liverpool in the opening 45 minutes. But their persistence was to pay off early in the second half. Ilkay Gundogan bagged the opening goal and first of two for the German midfielder when finding the net soon after the restart, making amends for an earlier penalty miss.
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Liverpool got themselves level from the penalty spot when star striker Mo Salah kept his cool but a quickfire double from Gundogan and Raheem Sterling put the Cityzens back in control. By the time Stockport 20-year-old Phil Foden slammed home his team’s fourth to cap a man of the match performance the game was over as a contest.
The stats now show Man City remain unbeaten against Liverpool in three games, a run stretching back to November 2019 when the Reds won 3-1 at Anfield on route to banking the Premier League title. With their team sitting proudly atop the table and boasting a strong unbeaten run of form versus the champions, not to mention a winning streak in the league, are we about to see the league trophy packed up and returned to sender?
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Man Utd provide a credible challenge
Followers of City dream of seeing their club back at the head of English football but there’s still plenty of football to be played this season. If the Sky Blues are to lift the famous silverware in spring, they must maintain their form to see off an all too familiar opponent.
The resurgence of the team across the city means the title race is likely to go right down to the wire. Manchester United appear to have found their form following years in the wilderness and look every inch a credible challenger at this stage. Under the guidance of former striker and fans favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United sit second in the list and are showing no signs of letting up.
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The Red Devils won 13 and drew six of their opening 23 games to move ahead of Leicester City and Liverpool into the silver medal position. They lack the consistency shown by their derby rivals this winter but are proving difficult to beat and put together a three-match unbeaten run including a jaw-dropping 9-0 home win achieved over a talented and capable Southampton side in February. United found the net a dozen times in their opening two games of the month, ensuring critics gave their challenge the credit it deserves.
All will be clear when the derby returns
Could we see the old rivals of Manchester City and Manchester United going toe-to-toe and slug it out for the Premier League title? The form of both in the early exchanges of 2021 suggests that’s a strong possibility and the race to the line is sure to provide followers of the beautiful game with a gripping grandstand finish.
We’ll know more about the destination of this season’s title at the conclusion of play on Saturday 6 March with the 184th Manchester Derby set to take place. Etihad Stadium plays host to that one and with the clash beamed around the world courtesy of live television coverage, followers are expecting a thrilling 90 minutes of play.
The current head-to-head stats have Man Utd on 75 wins against the 55 of Man City and 53 draws. Will the dominance of red continue or will fans be singing the blues?
Sport
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Sport
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
The Manc -
11th February 2021 
