By Darwin Largo
Manchester City had the goal to win this Saturday at Etihad Stadium against Sheffield United. And they achieved it. For them it was an ideal opportunity, as they were facing the weakest team in the Premier League: The Blades are at the bottom of the table and have won only two games this season. However, they could not relax and had to prove on the pitch that they were better than their rivals.
That is why Pep Guardiola decided to include in the starting lineup all the stars of the squad that are available. The exceptions were Erling Haaland, who has had an ankle injury since early December and is expected to return in mid-January, Jeremy Doku and John Stones.
Things got off to an ideal start for The Citizens, as 14 minutes into the first half Rodri scored the opener with a beautiful goal. The Spanish midfielder took the ball near the halfway line, dribbled a rival player and before entering the box he shot with great precision with his right foot, making the reaction of goalkeeper Wes Foderingham useless.
With the lead the hosts were able to control the tempo of the game, circulating the ball and forcing Sheffield United to make a big effort to try and win it back. This allowed the coach to make changes during the second half to rest some players. One of the substitutes who came on was Oscar Bobb, who 16 minutes into the second half fed a beautiful pass to Phil Foden, who assisted Julian Alvarez for 2-0. The lead was too much for the Blades, who could do nothing to avoid defeat.
Despite Manchester City's win that left them just two points behind leaders Liverpool and Aston Villa, fans were hoping to see something that ultimately didn't happen. On the bench was Kevin De Bruyne, who is recovered after surgery that has kept him out since August. However, coach Pep Guardiola decided not to let him play even a minute, so his return to the field will have to wait at least a few more days.
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