EPL Title Race: Manchester City can’t get too comfortable now

At 3:50 PM today, minutes after the West Ham versus Manchester City game, the words that were trending on the net were ‘Gerrard and Coutinho’, and it was for a reason. The league title was still very much open and the race to the title was far from over.

Of course, City could have had it all wrapped up today, if they had done the needful with a performance not short of a victory, considering they had a convincing goal difference that even a loss on final match day would have had no serious effects.

But as it turned out, they were lucky themselves to have had something to take away from the game. West Ham came with a game plan, a blue print that didn’t require them being push overs as they too were on for something; a place in Europe just as City were on for the league title.

And rightly so, like a team fighting for something, West Ham went 2 goals up against a City side whose backline they targeted, knowing it was what complimented the Hammers’ strength; quick attackers on the counter against a weak defence.

Manchester City were cruising with the possession, like West Ham wanted them to, but the slightest chance at the ball by the Hammers, they ran at City like wolves in their pack, and ate into the City backline. They had chances upon chances via Michail Antonio and Jarod Bowen who buried his to see a 2-0 deficit in the first hour.

Distances away, the bells were singing on Merseyside. The red half of the town was beginning to celebrate hope. City were loosing, there was still a game to go, the title wasn’t done yet and their team could once more stand a chance. It was the celebration, and slowly, it was beginning to feel maddening for City boss.

Guardiola was starting to loose it. His team was falling apart, even though they had all the possession in the world. The West Ham team were giving the fans and retiring player Mark Noble the farewell he deserved and a victory the fans would be proud of. But then, they went into a dip.

The West Ham defence cracked, and City came into the game through Jack Grealish, and courtesy of a West Ham own goal.

From giving a resilient first half performance, West Ham cracked to the pressure and dragged the game to an eventual 2-2 draw, which if not for a Mahrez penalty miss, could very much have taken the game away from the Hammers and left them with nothing at the end.

But one thing though to be taken into consideration is the first half performance put in by West Ham that could have left City with nothing if West Ham had hung in the game and maintained focus.

The idea of such performance would leave City with the fearful knowledge that this game is very much far from being done, and should their final match day go the same or even worse, they may find themselves leaving the campaign this season with nothing like they did at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League semi final.

They can’t get too comfortable now, cause there very much could be a symbolic ‘Rodrygo’ to drown their dreams in 90 minutes like it happened against La liga giants, Real Madrid.