Pep Guardiola’s first match in charge of Manchester City ended with an unconvincing 2-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday, just hours after the new English Premier League season got underway with a shock defeat for champion Leicester at Hull.
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Hull’s Robert Snodgrass got a 57th-minute victor as Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester lacked the intensity of their last campaign while City got away with their lethargic display as Sunderland debutant Paddy McNair scored an 87th-minute own goal.
Meanwhile, Swansea City won 1-0 at promoted Burnley courtesy of an 82nd-minute strike by Leroy Fer, who tapped in after debutant Fernando Llorente’s header was saved by Tom Heaton. “Today was a normal match, maybe a draw was normal, but we lost it”, said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, whose side lost only three times last season.
“Next week could be a big week because we still need to find players”. “The second half we played really well”.
We started well, we created chances to score a goal but at the end of the first half we conceded a goal after a corner.
Embarrassing. Get off the beach, get back to work!
“I thought the players had it in them to produce something but all credit to the football players because they showed a lot of the determination, ” Phelan told Sky Sports.
Southampton manager Claude Puel and his Watford counterpart Walter Mazzarri started life at their respective new clubs with a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s.
Hull, which earned a promotion by winning the Championship playoff in May, received a vital three points in what’s expected to be a long season.
Phelan struggled to raise a team to face Leicester and had to do so against a background of off-field uncertainty, with the Allems considering selling the club to a Chinese consortium.
City showed plenty of control in possession but they were punished for lacking thrust when Jack Rodwell – formerly of the Etihad Stadium club – fed Jermain Defoe who fired past Willy Caballero, the deputy for the dropped Joe Hart. Our commitment was incredible, but it was individual, not as a team.
Along with the missed opportunities, Ranieri said a lack of teamwork meant his team was second-best on the day. Bournemouth will provide a tough test but I think United will edge it 1-0.
The Italian set himself the same benchmark this term, to much mirth, but an opening day 2-1 defeat at relegation favourites Hull have cast his comments in a new light.
Leroy Fer scored Swansea’s late victor against Burnley and a header from West Brom’s Salomon Rondon gave the visitors their victory at Crystal Palace.
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Premier League football returns this weekend and Manchester United will kick off their campaign with a tricky trip to Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.
