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2020 Fabinho Injury Tarnishes Manchester City Ease To 3-0

28th, Liverpool’s Victory Over Win At The Stade Velodrome

October

| FC Midtjylland
EXAMINER

IRISH

Manchester City took control of their Champions
League group as they eased to a 3-0 win over Marseille at
the Stade Velodrome.
Ferran Torres struck in the first half before further goals
from Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling after the break
wrapped up a convincing victory.
The result gives City a three-point lead in Group C after
just two games and the intensity of the performance
should boost confidence levels after an underwhelming
start in the Premier League.
iogo Jota and substitute It made it two wins from two cross towards Minamino, who On two occasions in Europe now this term, following
Mohamed Salah netted sec- games in Champions League was unable to connect, and the last week’s victory over Porto, City have been hugely pos-
Dond-half goals as Liverpool Group D for Jurgen Klopp’s men, full-back saw his attempted pass to itive in their play.
beat Midtjylland 2-0 at Anfield, with but there will be concern over the the Japan international intercept- This time they made light of their lack of a recognized
Fabinhohavingtogooffinthefirsthalf condition of Fabinho. ed after a good run into the box. center forward, as well as a host of other injuries, as they
to add to their defensive injury prob- Klopp opted to drop Salah, Minamino subsequently failed took the game to their French hosts from the outset.
lems. Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to get a shot away having been fed Torres was a surprise choice to play centrally in the
Fabinho – playing at the back to the bench for the match, along by Jordan Henderson, before absence of injured strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus
again in the absence of Virgil Van with Georginio Wijnaldum, as Liverpool were hit by another but it was a selection that paid off.
Dijk and Joel Matip – had to be Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino, defensive injury blow as Fabinho Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas, perhaps drawing
substituted around the half-hour Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner required treatment and had to be encouragement from Lyon’s defeat of City in last season’s
mark having pulled up while run- started. substituted, with 19-year-old Rhys quarter-finals, set out with a plan to sit deep with a five-
ning. There was an early scare for Williams coming on in his place. man defense.
That was amid an under- the hosts as former Brighton man Jota and Milner had efforts But unlike on that night in Lisbon in August, City were
whelming display from the Reds Dreyer latched on to a long pass blocked and Minamino headed sharp and keen to get on the front foot.
The visitors won a series of corners in the opening min-
in the first half, during which they forward, with his shot being saved wide in stoppage time as utes and the fit-again Kevin De Bruyne volleyed over and
failed to register a shot on target. by Alisson Becker, and the Liverpool got to half-time without had another effort blocked. Phil Foden also tested goal-
Jota then put Liverpool ahead Brazilian goalkeeper then com- having called Midtjylland goal-
in the 55th minute with a close- fortably gathered a low free-kick keeper Mikkel Andersen into keeper Steve Mandanda before City took a deserved lead
on 18 minutes.
range finish and, shortly after the from Pione Sisto. action. De Bruyne found himself in clear space behind the
visitors had gone close to scoring a Liverpool struggled as they When Liverpool finally got a Marseille defense after a mistake by Valentin Rongier and
late equalizer through Anders looked to get some attacking shot on target, 10 minutes into the calmly squared for a similarly unmarked Torres to tap
Dreyer, substitute Salah added a rhythm going. second half, it gave them the lead. home.
penalty in stoppage time. Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a Alexander-Arnold gave the ball City continued to dominate and went close to a second

Old Trafford Modified To Accomodate to Shaqiri, received his delightful when a well-struck shot across goal from Oleksandr
return pass and squared to Jota,
23,500 Socially-Distancing Fans who tapped in. Zinchenko shaved the outside of the post.
Manchester United have modified Five minutes later Klopp Marseille offered little until a long-range effort from
Old Trafford to accommodate 23,500 brought on Salah and Mane for Nemanja Radonjić four minutes before the break but it
socially-distanced spectators, the Minamno and Origi, but it was was comfortably claimed by Ederson.
Premier League club have said. Midtjylland who threatened next The only disappointment for City at the break was that
United’s chief operating officer as their substitute Evander fired they had not converted their possession into more goals.
Collette Roche is convinced fans could That may have given Marseille encouragement and
safely attend games in person and says narrowly wide. they threatened early in the second half as former
the ongoing ban due to the Covid-19 pandemic is “bemusing”. Salah shot off-target and Newcastle striker Florian Thauvin was denied by a combi-
Roche told Sky Sports News: “It’s quite bemusing to understand Firmino, having also been nation of Ederson and post.
why people can gather in other settings such as on an aeroplane or in brought on, also struck into the But that only opened up the game more and it played
a restaurant, or even in a cinema to watch football, when we know stand as the end of the contest into City’s hands as Sterling came into his own on the
we’ve got the plans and the process is ready to deliver a match day drew near. right. The England forward first raced in on goal only to be
here safely. Dreyer then almost brought denied by a fine Jordan Amavi tackle and then teed up
Manchester United chief operating officer Collette Roche believes things level as he sent a dinked Gundogan to shoot at Mandanda.
up to 23,500 socially distanced fans could safely watch matches at Old effort into the side-netting, before That combination then came good to double City’s
Trafford. Salah sealed the three points for lead with 14 minutes remaining as Sterling headed down a
“We spent around two months working with the government Liverpool, converting from the Foden cross and Gundogan finished from close range.
guidelines to develop the right processes and measures to make sure spot after referee Paweł City were not finished there and they claimed a third
that we can have around 23,500 people in this stadium safely social Raczkowski judged he had been moments later as Riyad Mahrez released De Bruyne and
distancing.” C fouled by Paulinho. C his inch-perfect ball was turned in by Sterling. C