West Ham United 2, Manchester City 1
LONDON // Manuel Pellegrini was clearly irritated. He never says much in his post-match media conferences, but this time he did not say much in an extremely irritated way.
Given he is usually so urbane, that felt significant.
He must know that the title is sliding out of City's grasp; if Chelsea win away to Manchester United on Sunday, they will be eight points clear of the champions – who remain, thanks to the stuttering starts of all the other major sides, their closest challengers.
This could be the weekend on which the Premier League title is decided.
Pellegrini said his side had not deserved to lose but, while it is true they created chances, so, too, did West Ham and, for the first hour or so of the game, City were distinctly second best.
There was a sense of lethargy about them, a doziness manifested in West Ham’s opening goal.
There may have been a suspicion of offside, but still, the way Enner Valencia was allowed to run into the box was bewildering, even before the mass collapse that left Morgan Amalfitano free at the back post to turn the ball over the line.
West Ham have tremendous pace in forward areas and that means that even when they are under pressure, they remain a threat.
The second goal may have come against the run of play, but it was hardly unexpected, Aaron Cresswell sending in a perfect cross for Diafra Sakho to score his sixth Premier League goal of the season with a downwards header.
A moment of individual brilliance from David Silva, darting in from the right before whipping the ball into the bottom corner, gave City hope, but that has been their way too often in recent times: waiting for individuals to produce brilliance rather than anything more coherent or consistent.
Silva’s quick feet, a surge from Yaya Toure or Sergio Aguero’s pace ripping an opponent apart. The potential is always there, but this season it seems not to have been properly harnessed.
West Ham, by contrast, had a clear game plan and two forwards in superlative form.
City’s biggest problem is the middle of midfield. Fernando and Fernandinho have barely been fit at the same time and that means Toure is always the player charged with providing forward drive from midfield.
He, though, increasingly plays in fits and starts, a general disaffection radiating from him.
Without proper cover, the back four has been exposed again and again, and Vincent Kompany keeps being drawn out of position, which in turn leads him to make rash challenges.
He was perhaps unfortunate to be cautioned when he was on Saturday, but he could easily have picked up yellow cards for two other fouls.
City, remarkably, have a point more this season after nine games than they did last, but last season they did not have a rampant Chelsea to deal with.
Already, with three quarters of the season still to play, it would take a remarkable swing for City to get back into the title race.
sports@thenational.ae
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'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
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Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
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