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MANCITY REACH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS WITH WIN AT DORTMUND

Manchester City survived an early scare to see off Borussia Dortmund and reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time under Pep Guardiola.

A superb strike from the outstanding Jude Bellingham saw the German side level their quarter-final tie after 15 minutes of the second leg at Signal Iduna Park.

City responded in the second half with a penalty from Riyad Mahrez and a fine effort from Phil Foden to win 2-1 on the night and progress 4-2 on aggregate.

The result ended City’s run of quarter-final frustration having gone out at the last-eight stage in each of the previous three years.

Dortmund, who were aggrieved to have a goal disallowed in the first leg, felt the penalty award for handball against Emre Can was harsh but City, who also hit the woodwork through Kevin De Bruyne, were dominant overall.

Guardiola’s side also did well to keep the highly-rated Erling Haaland quiet although, in England international Bellingham, the hosts certainly possessed another tricky youngster.

It was the 17-year-old who took centre stage early on.

City’s day had begun badly with fireworks being set off outside their hotel by Dortmund fans in the early hours.

Guardiola claimed he “slept like a baby” through the commotion but City were caught out by a positive start from the hosts.

Mahmoud Dahoud had the first serious opportunity with a powerful strike from outside the area and Bellingham then took over, seemingly covering all areas of the pitch in defence and attack.

He was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring after another Dahoud effort was blocked by Ruben Dias.

Bellingham showed great control as he seized on a loose ball and cleverly switched feet to clip a shot into the top corner. Ederson did get his fingers to it but there was no stopping a shot that levelled the tie and gave Dortmund the edge on the away goals rule.

City responded well and went close to an equaliser as De Bruyne rattled the crossbar after winning back possession.

That sparked a wave of City pressure and Mateu Morey got lucky when he diverted a De Bruyne cross towards his own goal and keeper Marwin Hitz reacted quickly enough to block.

Foden then hooked a ball into the box from the byline and Mahrez controlled beautifully before his shot was kept out by the backtracking Bellingham on the line.

Oleksandr Zinchenko then had a header saved by Hitz and De Bruyne dragged an effort wide.

City finally regained control of the tie 10 minutes into the second half after Can was penalised for handball.

The former Liverpool midfielder argued that he had headed the ball onto his arm but the spot-kick award stood after a lengthy VAR review.

Mahrez made no mistake from the spot to equalise on the night and put City ahead on aggregate.

Dortmund did not give up and Mats Hummels headed narrowly over from a Marco Reus free-kick but the hosts became stretched as City kept up the pressure.

De Bruyne sliced a shot wide but was unlucky not to be awarded a free-kick for a foul in the process.

He then went even closer as he skipped around a challenge from Hummels but Hitz produced a fine save.

The decisive goal came from the resulting corner, which was taken short and worked to Foden on the edge of the area.

The 20-year-old took aim and struck a sweet shot which rebounded past Hitz off the inside of the near post.

That did the job for the Premier League leaders, although they were still not finished and Zinchenko tested Hitz with a fierce effort.

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WE DESERVED CITY VICTORY – MARCELO BIELSA

Marcelo Bielsa felt his 10-man Leeds side deserved their victory over Manchester City on Saturday – but would not have complained had they lost.

Stuart Dallas struck twice, including an injury-time winner, as Leeds overcame the first-half sending-off of captain Liam Cooper to win 2-1 against the Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium.

City racked up 29 shots in a dominant display but, after equalising through Ferran Torres on 76 minutes, could not make their superiority count and were punished by Dallas late on.

Leeds manager Bielsa said: “They dominated the game, the majority of the chances at goal were in their favour.

“But the result was deserved because of the character, personality, effort and fortitude from a mental and physical point of view.

“It is a little bit strange to say it – as it would have been fair for City to win – but we deserved to win.”

It was Leeds’ first victory over one of the established ‘big six’ clubs since their promotion back to the top flight.

It was also a notable first win for veteran Bielsa over City boss Pep Guardiola, but the 65-year-old Argentinian refused to take any of the credit.

He said: “That Leeds beat Man City doesn’t mean I imposed myself over their manager.

“Guardiola is the manager of the team Leeds beat but I don’t consider anything on my part.

“I do think value belongs to the players for winning a difficult game.”

The dismissal of Cooper in the last minute of the first half for a bad challenge on Gabriel Jesus changed the nature of the game, forcing Leeds into second-half rearguard.

Referee Andre Marriner initially showed a yellow card before revising his opinion after checking on the pitchside monitor.

Bielsa did not give a view on the incident.

He said: “I consider the English refereeing positive and valuable, and VAR is a resource that ends the doubts over a decision.

“My opinion is not important because the referees are specialists and the tool of VAR helps them make the decision.”

Guardiola, whose quadruple-chasing side face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final next Wednesday, made seven changes.

He denied selection was a major factor in the result.

He said: “When you win you are a genius, when you lose you have to take it.

“I don’t have any regret about about the XI for selection because I trust a lot of them. If I didn’t trust them they would not play.

“Everyone was good but it is difficult against Leeds because they are used to winning duels. You cannot let them run. You have to control it and we did not.”

The defeat was only City’s second in 29 games in all competitions, 27 of which have been won. They still need 11 points to wrap up their third title in the space of four years.

Guardiola said: “When you lose a game you realise how difficult it is, what we have done so far.

“The Premier League must still be won. We need points still as our opponent can win all the games.

“Now we need to do it again. We have Aston Villa and then three of the next four games are like finals, in the Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup.

“We have incredible confidence in the guys and defeat is sometimes is necessary to understand how difficult it is.”

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STUART DALLAS NETS BRACE AS 10-MAN LEEDS UTD SHOCK MAN CITY WITH 2-1 VICTORY

Stuart Dallas struck a last-gasp winner as 10-man Leeds stunned runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

The Northern Irishman raced onto a fine through ball from Ezgjan Alioski and flicked past Ederson for his second goal of the game in injury time.

City had been pressing for a winner having finally taken advantage of Liam Cooper’s sending-off to cancel out Dallas’ 42nd-minute opener through Ferran Torres 15 minutes from time.

Cooper was dismissed in the final minute of the first half for a poor challenge on Gabriel Jesus following a VAR review.

The result left City, who had dominated most of the game, still needing 11 points to secure their third title in the space of four seasons.

City, having made seven changes following their midweek Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund, were slow out of the blocks.

Leeds played some neat football and did get behind the hosts’ defence on a couple of occasions early on but failed to capitalise. Their best opening saw Tyler Roberts break into the box on the right but his ball across goal was too far behind Patrick Bamford.

City gradually began to increase the tempo and Ferran Torres had a good effort brilliantly blocked by Cooper at point-blank range following a corner. Jesus’ follow-up attempt was also blocked.

Raheem Sterling came more into the game but was denied a penalty after the ball jumped up and caught Luke Ayling on the arm following a jinking run.

Sterling then blasted over before spurning an even better opportunity, dragging a first-time shot horribly wide, after being teed up by a charging Fernandinho.

City were made to pay for that miss as Helder Costa broke down the left and passed inside to Bamford. Dallas then latched onto an inviting lay-off on the edge of the area, hitting a firm low shot that left Ederson rooted to the spot as it rebounded in off the base of the post.

It was a lead that came against the run of play and Leeds’ hopes of hanging onto it almost immediately suffered a blow as Cooper was dismissed for a bad challenge on Jesus.

Referee Andre Marriner initially showed a yellow card after Cooper caught the Brazilian on the knee in his follow-through but revised that to red after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.

City chased the equaliser in the second half with Oleksandr Zinchenko forcing a good save from Illan Meslier and Bernardo Silva volleying wide from close range. Ilkay Gundogan fired over and Fernandinho had a powerful effort palmed over by Meslier, who also saved from Joao Cancelo.

The equaliser finally came 15 minutes from time as Silva flicked the ball into the path of Torres and the Spaniard clipped it past Meslier.

City continued to press but Leeds surprisingly had the final say as Dallas broke clear and slid a fine finish through the legs of Ederson. It was Leeds’ first victory against one of the established ‘big six’ since their promotion.

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KELVIN DE BRUYNE SIGNS MAN CITY CONTRACT EXTENSION TILL 2025

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2025.

The Belgium international, whose existing deal was due to expire in 2023, is 30 in June and now looks set to see out most of the remainder of his career at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne has had a glittering spell since joining the club from Wolfsburg in 2015, winning seven major trophies, which could become 11 by the end of the season if City are successful in their hunt for the quadruple.

But, ominously for the rest of Europe, he reckons the best is yet to come for himself and Pep Guardiola’s team.

“I could not be happier. Since joining City in 2015, I have felt at home,” he said. “I love the fans, my family are settled here in Manchester and my own game has developed really well.

“This football club is geared for success. It offers me everything I need to maximise my performance, so signing this contract was a straightforward decision.

“I am playing the best football of my career and I honestly feel there is more to come.

“Pep and I see football in the same way. Having that relationship with a manager is so important to me because our objectives are totally aligned, and we want the same things.

“My focus now is on ensuring we have a successful end to the current campaign. Our results and performances so far have been excellent, but we need to make sure we end the season with the silverware we deserve.”

De Bruyne, who was named as the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year in 2020, is having another impressive campaign, with seven goals and 16 assists, and director of football Txiki Begiristain knows they have one of the best footballers in the world.

Begiristain said: “This is a very significant moment for this football club. Kevin is, without question, one of the best players in world football.

“His performance level has been remarkably consistent since coming to City, and in the last few years he has developed into one of the game’s elite players.

“His talent is unquestionable – but he is also a consummate professional whose dedication to Manchester City during his time here has been nothing short of remarkable. He constantly seeks to improve, and his approach is the perfect blueprint for any young player looking to carve out a career.

“We are delighted he is our player and I look forward to watching him during his peak years here at Manchester City.”

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Defiant Borussia Dortmund warn Man City tie not over yet

Borussia Dortmund interim coach Edin Terzic has warned Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola that their Champions League quarter-final tie is far from over despite a 2-1 win for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Guardiola was complimentary about Dortmund’s performance after the game but Terzic, whose side had levelled the contest at 1-1 six minutes from the end before Phil Foden’s last-gasp winner, said his side were ready for another bite at the cherry.

“Pep had some nice words for me at full-time, but we’re not done yet. We’ll see each other again in eight days’ time,” said Terzic. “It’s halftime and the tie is still open.

“We’ll be ready to give it our all to overturn the result and reach the next round. We kept their chances to a minimum and posed a threat ourselves going forward. It was evenly matched so we’re disappointed with the result in the end,” he added.

Dortmund skipper Marco Reus was upset with the way his side had allowed City to take an advantage to Germany.

“We’re annoyed. Conceding a second right before the end was unnecessary. Two seconds of us switching off and they showed their quality. We have to stop the cross coming in. On the whole though, I think we produced a great performance,” he said.

Guardiola was clear his City side would not be trying to defend their one goal advantage next Wednesday.

“We are going to Dortmund to win the game. In the first half tonight, we were not clever with the ball. The second half was much better and we had two or three clear chances to score a second or third when it was 1-0,” he said.

“To play in the positions we want to, we have to have good build-up play. We have another chance next week.”

“Borussia Dortmund are a typical club from the Champions League. They have played in this competition for many years and know what to do. We are going there to score,” he added.

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GABRIEL JESUS ON TARGET AS LEADERS MANCHESTER CITY EASE PAST LEICESTER WITH 2-0 VICTORY

Birthday boy Gabriel Jesus continued in-form Manchester City’s march to the Premier League title after a classy victory at Leicester.

The striker, who turned 24 on Saturday, wrapped up a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s men made it 15 straight away wins in all competitions.

Benjamin Mendy’s second-half opener sent them on their way and City are 17 points clear at the top with seven games left after a 26th win in their last 27 games.

Fernandinho had a goal ruled out while Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick hit the crossbar.

Jamie Vardy also had a goal disallowed for offside but the third-placed Foxes missed the chance to climb above Manchester United into second after being outclassed.

They thumped City 5-2 at the Etihad in September but there was to be no repeat this time.

The leaders dominated the ball early and thought they had a breakthrough after five minutes.

Fernandinho cracked a first-time half volley into the bottom corner from 30 yards only for it to be disallowed because Sergio Aguero was offside and in Kasper Schmeichel’s eyeline.

The visitors pinned the Foxes in their own half and, while Leicester still looked to pass their way out of any trouble, they never had the ball long enough to make a dent going forward.

Aguero volleyed over after Timothy Castagne’s clearance was charged down but the Foxes had kept any City chances to a minimum.

De Bruyne, though, came close to an opener after 23 minutes. The midfielder was fortunate to earn a free-kick after minimal contact from Wilfred Ndidi and stepped up to smash the bar from 25 yards.

The warning signs were there but Leicester’s concentration levels in the face of City pressure were excellent.

A goal would have capped a first-half masterclass from Guardiola’s side but Schmeichel denied Riyad Mahrez with his legs four minutes before the break and De Bruyne curled wide seconds later.

Jesus also fired over but City escaped in first-half stoppage time.

Ndidi beat De Bruyne to the ball and Ayoze Perez fed Vardy to round Ederson and score, although his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

It at least gave the Foxes encouragement and they began the second half with more intent, Youri Tielemans shooting at Ederson before Ruben Dias blocked Vardy’s drive.

But City got the opener their display deserved after 58 minutes from an unlikely source.

Schmeichel parried Mahrez’s effort and City regained control of the ball to cross for Jesus, who could not get a shot away. It fell for Mendy and he cut inside Marc Albrighton to curl in just his second Premier League goal from 10 yards.

Leicester had no response and Jesus grabbed a second with 16 minutes left.

De Bruyne’s sumptuous throughball sent the striker clear and he passed to Raheem Sterling, who held the ball up and squared for Jesus to stab in his fifth goal in six top-flight games against the Foxes.

Former Leicester winger Mahrez should have made it 3-0 soon after but curled wide, while James Maddison shot at Ederson as the Foxes chased a late consolation.

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AGUERO IS IRREPLACEABLE – GUARDIOLA

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists Sergio Aguero is “irreplaceable” and “helped to put the club in a higher level”, as the striker prepares to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

City’s all-time record goalscorer will leave when his contract expires this summer and Guardiola has paid a glowing tribute to the 32-year-old, who has won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and five League Cups during his decade-long stay.

Guardiola believes Aguero was one of the players who established the club as a force in the Premier League and has backed him to score some important goals in what remains of this season, with City chasing an unprecedented quadruple.

“Sergio is irreplaceable,” the City boss told Sky Sports. “I could say in terms of numbers he can be replaceable, it’s not easy when you see more than 360 games played and more than 250 goals, the amount of titles…

“So it’s the legend, the best striker this club has ever had for this century through the years, but is irreplaceable in the souls, in the hearts, in the minds of our fans, of our people, of the players that played alongside him and all the managers who worked with him.

“We were so lucky, the guys who came after him – me as a manager for example. We took over the club and he was one of the guys like Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, many players helped this club make a step forward and of course he was one of them.

“He helped us find a club organisation in a higher level. When he came here the club was in one level, and he helped to put the club in a higher level. And that’s why all the people are still here, and of course the fans always will be grateful.

“Without them, what we achieved in the past four or five years would not be possible, that’s for sure.

“I think he still has interesting goals to score this season.”

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MANCITY CLUB LEGEND, SERGIO AGUERO TO LEAVE CLUB IN SUMMER

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will leave the club this summer when his contract expires, the Premier League outfit have confirmed.

The Argentina international is City’s record goal-scorer having amassed 257 goals in 384 appearances since arriving from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011 and is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history.

Aguero, who turns 33 in June, is most famous for his added-time goal in the final league match of the 2011-12 season against QPR which secured the club’s first Premier League title.

“Sergio’s contribution to Manchester City over the last 10 years cannot be overstated,” said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

“His legend will be indelibly etched into the memories of everyone who loves the club and maybe even in those who simply love football.

“This is not yet the moment for farewell words and speeches. There is still much to achieve in the remainder of the time we have with Sergio, and we look forward to his contributions to the challenges which lay ahead.

“In the meantime, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we will be commissioning an artist to create a statue of Sergio to live at the Etihad Stadium alongside the ones under construction for Vincent (Kompany) and David (Silva).

“And we look forward to the opportunity to bid Sergio a fitting farewell at the end of the season.”

City are working on plans to mark his departure on the final home game of the season against Everton and they are hopeful thousands of supporters will be permitted to attend Etihad Stadium when lockdown measures are eased further.

In addition to becoming the club’s record goal-scorer – which he achieved by overtaking Eric Brook’s 78-year record with a goal in the 4-2 win at Napoli in 2017 – he also has a Premier League high 12 hat-tricks which he achieved with a treble against Aston Villa in January 2020 to surpass Alan Shearer’s landmark.

Aguero has won four Premier League titles – with a fifth looking likely in his final season. He could also still add to his tally of one FA Cup and five League Cups before his departure.

“When a cycle comes to an end, many sensations arise,” Aguero, who has struggled with injuries and Covid-19 this season, wrote on Twitter.

“A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole 10 seasons – unusual for a professional player in this day and age.

“Ten seasons with major achievement, throughout which I was able to become the top historic goalscorer and forging an indestructible bond with all those who love this club – people who will always be in my heart.”

He added: “I was to join during the reconstruction era of 2011, and with the guidance of the owners and the contribution of many players, we earned a place among the greatest in the world.

“The task to maintain this well-deserved privileged position will remain on others.

“As for myself, I will continue to give it my utmost for the rest of the season to win more titles and bring more joy to the fans.

“Then, a new stage with new challenges will begin and I am fully ready to face them with the same passion and professionalism that I have always dedicated to continue competing at the highest level.”

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MAN CITY TO FACE CHELSEA IN FA CUP SEMIS, LEICESTER DRAW SOUTHAMPTON

Manchester City have been drawn to face Chelsea while Leicester or Manchester United will take on Southampton in next month’s FA Cup semi-finals.

Pep Guardiola’s side maintained their bid for an unprecedented quadruple as they won 2-0 at Everton to reach this stage of the competition for a third successive season, while Chelsea beat Sheffield United by the same scoreline.

Southampton, meanwhile, eased to a 3-0 victory over neighbours Bournemouth to book their spot at Wembley and their reward is a fixture against Leicester City who defgeated Ole Gunner Solksjaer’s Manchester United by 3 goals to 1.

The draw was made at half-time in the game at the King Power Stadium, with the sides level at 1-1.

The all Premier League semi-finals will take place at Wembley on the weekend of April 17th and 18th.

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FA CUP: CITY STRIKE LATE TO BEAT EVERTON TO THE SEMI FINAL TICKET, KEEP QUADRUPLE HOPE ALIVE

Late goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne carried Pep Guardiola and Manchester City through to the FA Cup semi-finals and kept alive their dreams of an unprecedented quadruple.

But it was a close-fought thing against a stubborn Everton side that only finally succumbed in the 84th minute to Gundogan’s 16th goal of the season.

With City pressing for the winner, a powerful shot by defender Aymeric Laporte was saved well by Everton’s stand-in keeper Joao Virginia who tipped the effort against the cross-bar.

The ball dropped kindly for the on-rushing Gundogan who stooped to head the ball over the line and clinch a 15th win – to go with a Champions League draw against Porto – in 16 cup ties for City this season.

For good measure, City sub Kevin De Bruyne struck in the 90th minute Wirth a clinical finish after racing clear onto a pass from fellow replacement Rodri.

Everton claimed Yerry Mina had been fouled by Riyad Mahrez in the build-up to that goal although, by that stage, such complaints were academic.

City dominated first half possession but Carlo Ancelotti had pieced together a masterful game-plan that stifled their normally free-flowing football.

In fact, the best chance of the opening period fell to the hosts from Lucas Digne’s 43rd minute corner which Mina flicked on brilliantly at the near-post, forcing Oleksandr Zinchenko into a head goalline clearance.

Earlier, City keeper Zack Steffen had also enjoyed a slice of luck when he raced to deal with Gylfi Sigurdsson’s through ball, kicked it against Dominic Calvert-Lewin and needed team mate Laporte to mop up the danger.

But City were frequently frustrated by an Everton defence that set about the task of protecting third-choice keeper Virginia in their goal.

The visitors were largely limited to efforts from distance, with a 25-yard hit from Raheem Sterling straight at the keeper their only on-target effort over the first 45 minutes.

City looked more energised after the restart, although a Richarlison half-volley flew just wide from Everton’s first attack.

And Everton’s 21-year-old Portuguese keeper was soon called into action, diving sharply to turn Sterling’s 12-yard shot around his post after he connected with a Fernandinho cross.

The influential Foden also connected menacingly with another long shot which flew just wide of the Everton goal as the Premier League leaders appeared to be edging closer a breakthrough.

The sight of Riyad Mahrez and De Bruyne coming off the City bench as substitutes was hardly ideal for the home side and, as the tie entered the last 10 minutes of normal time, Foden tested Virginia with yet another long-range attempt that forced a routine stop before the killer goal.