45′+2
16:51
Half-time conclusion:
Manchester City goes into the locker room with a 1-0 lead against Sheffield United. The Skyblues took control of the game from kick-off and let their opponents run after the ball. Sheffield did it well, but gave Rodri too much space a few meters from the penalty area and could no longer prevent the deficit from distance (14th). Man City then continued to control the ball, but there weren’t many chances to score as the game progressed. Bernardo Silva almost increased after a pass from Foden, but Foderingham was down quickly enough (21′). It could be a long second half for the Blades if the newcomers only have to do defensive work.
45′+2
16:48
End of 1st half
45′+1
16:48
There were hardly any interruptions, so there are only 60 seconds of extra time.
45′
16:47
Official injury time (minutes): 1
45′
16:47
The final phase of the first half is in full swing and Manchester City is now letting Sheffield take part in the game a little more.
43′
4:45 p.m
Yellow card for Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City)
Kovačić loses the ball in the opponent’s half due to a slight mistake and then takes up the chase. In his own half, he finally stops Osula with a kick in the heels and is shown a yellow card for this tactical foul.
41′
16:44
Bogle suddenly has a lot of space on the right side and serves Osula, who was running along, with a flat pass into the middle. The striker presses the ball towards the goal, but Akanji gets his foot in the way at the penalty spot and makes a decisive deflection.
40′
16:43
The hosts close down Sheffield in their own penalty area! Álvarez forgoes the shot from the half position and turns away. From the backcourt, Kovačić chips over the promoted side’s last line, but Rodri can’t get to the ball because a defender stands in between them.
37′
16:39
Yellow card for Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Guardiola gets too upset on the sideline about an uncalled foul on Bernardo Silva and is shown a yellow card for it.
35′
16:37
Bernardo Silva chips the ball with a lot of feeling into the middle, where Rodri extends with his head. Akanji gets to the ball at the second post, but then the flag goes up because the Swiss was offside.
34′
16:36
Grealish is stopped with a foul almost 26 meters from the goal – this gives the hosts a free kick from a promising position.
32′
4:35 p.m
Man City tries a quick corner on the right, but Álvarez’s pass to the first post finds no taker.
31′
16:33
Half an hour has been played and Manchester City’s dominance is not waning. Sheffield doesn’t get a foot in the door here and is only busy with defensive work.
28′
4:30 p.m
The game has only had a few highlights to offer so far – the hosts don’t necessarily have to put in 100% to take the lead. Given the high workload of the last few days, this obviously suits the Skyblues.
25′
16:27
The Blades now push a little higher, but Man City is unimpressed and gradually pushes the newcomer further towards their own penalty area.
23′
16:26
The statistics on ball possession have just been displayed: With 85%, the hosts are unsurprisingly in the lead here.
21′
16:24
Bernardo Silva sniffs 2-0! Foden attracts three opponents on the right corner of the penalty area and passes through to Bernardo Silva, who has started. The Portuguese shoots from a tight angle and Foderingham uses his fingertips to prevent the ball from hitting the far corner. The following corner remains safe for Sheffield.
19′
16:22
Rodri gets the ball again in the penalty area and could shoot. He opts for a chip ball in the middle, but the Blades defense is alert and clears with his head.
17′
4:20 p.m
The layout of the game does not change as a result of the hosts’ opening goal: Sheffield stands deep and defends its own goal with a lot of running. Manchester lurks for gaps and dominates the game with the ball at their feet.
14′
16:16
Great for Manchester City, 1-0 by Rodri
Rodri is not attacked properly and scores! Akanji opens with a flat through ball to Foden, who is able to pass it to Rodri despite the pressure behind him. Man City’s midfield engine is not attacked until the penalty area, so he has enough time for a well-placed right-footed shot from 16 meters that hits the bottom left corner.
12′
16:14
The Blades hit a ball far forward and Aké has to do everything he can in the running duel against Osula to clear the ball to the outside.
11′
16:13
Sheffield lets the Skyblues have their way until the middle of their own half and then the guests look for duels and keep the home team out of the penalty area as best they can.
9′
16:11
The pace on the field is still manageable so far because the promoted team only offers the champions a few spaces. Man City is patiently waiting for gaps, but hasn’t found one yet.
6′
16:09
Sheffield’s possession phases are rare and short in this initial phase because Manchester City immediately counter-press after losing the ball and win back the ball.
3′
4:05 p.m
The first finish belongs to Álvarez! Foden places a long ball with a touch for Man City’s striker – the Argentine shoots from almost 20 meters, his low shot rushes just past the right post.
2′
16:04
As expected, the Skyblues are very ball-proof and allow the play equipment to run well right from the start.
1′
16:02
Sheffield in the red and white jerseys toast – let’s go!
3:55 p.m
At the Etihad Stadium, the five trophies won are presented to the fans before kick-off – with the Club World Cup, another title was added a few days ago that we don’t want to withhold from the audience. But in just under five minutes the leather rolls!
3:44 p.m
Since this duel is already in the second half of the season, let’s take another look at the first leg on matchday three: Man City struggled in the first half and had to settle for a 0-0 draw at halftime. After the break, Haaland put his colors in the lead (63′), but Bogle equalized five minutes before the end. The Skyblues kept a clear head and Rodri welded the ball into the left corner in the 88th minute to make the final score 2-1.
3:35 p.m
While at least one important pillar at Man City returns with De Bruyne, striker Haaland is still pending a comeback. So far, backup Álvarez has filled his place in the attack more than adequately: the Argentine shone in the final of the Club World Cup with two goals and an assist, and against Everton he helped the team with a goal. With a win at the end of the year, the Skyblues would move into second place and reduce the gap to Liverpool to two points.
15:27
Promoted Stories Sheffield suffered a setback in the basement duel against Luton Town on Boxing Day: two own goals ultimately resulted in a 2-3 defeat. Before this game, Sheffield is in last place in the table with nine points and is eight points behind the saving bank. The guests celebrated their last win on matchday 16 against Brentford (1-0). Coach Chris Wilder brings in five new players from the start: Thomas, Norwood, Bogle, Ben Slimane, Osula. This means that the team’s two best scorers (three goals each), McBurnie and Archer, are initially on the bench.
15:18
Today is the ninth game of December for the Skyblues and after two weeks away, Pep Guardiola’s team is playing in front of their home crowd today to end the year – and the team has been waiting for a win for three home games! In Everton, 3-1, they were able to turn the half-time deficit around in the second half and thus prevent another loss of points after the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace. There are two changes to the reigning champions compared to the game against the Toffees: Stones (injured) and Matheus Nunes (bench) will be replaced by Gvardiol and Kovačić in the correct position. Also on the bench is De Bruyne, who is celebrating his comeback to the squad after a long injury break – the Belgian last played on the first matchday in August.
3:06 p.m
Hello and welcome to matchday 20 of the English Premier League! Manchester City welcomes newly promoted Sheffield United at 4 p.m.