Manchester United delivered late drama Sunday, scoring two goals in the final moments to deepen the struggles of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Chelsea moved within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
City defender Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring in a lackluster contest at the Etihad Stadium, but Bruno Fernandes leveled the match with an 88th-minute penalty. Two minutes later, Amad Diallo sealed a 2-1 victory for United with a composed finish.
Defending champions City, who have dominated English football over the past decade, now find themselves in crisis with just one win in their last 11 matches across all competitions, leaving Guardiola searching for answers.
“I don’t have a defense. I’m the boss, I’m the manager. I have to find a solution, and I don’t find a solution,” Guardiola said.
“This is a big club. When you lose eight out of 11, something wrong is happening. What can I say? The schedule? Injured players? No.
“I’m the boss, I’m the manager, and I’m not good enough. It’s as simple as that.”
City trail leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, by nine points and sit outside the Champions League places in fifth.
Injury-hit City appeared to be on course for a vital win as time ticked away, but they self-destructed in the final moments.
Matheus Nunes’ sloppy back pass was intercepted by Diallo, and the Portuguese midfielder brought down the United winger in an attempt to recover. Fernandes converted the penalty to equalize.
Moments later, Diallo latched onto a long ball over City’s flat-footed defense and finished neatly to complete the comeback.
City midfielder Bernardo Silva didn’t hold back in his post-match assessment.
“If we make these stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go, you deserve to pay for that,” Silva said. “Today, in the last minute, we played like under-15s.”
For new United manager Ruben Amorim, the win is a much-needed boost after a slow start to his tenure, with just one victory in his first four Premier League matches.
“I think for the fans it has a deep meaning, especially in this moment,” said Amorim, managing his first Manchester derby. “We had a difficult moment a week ago against Nottingham Forest at home. Today, we are happier, but it’s three points, and we have to keep going.”
United remain 13th in the Premier League table, where they started the day, as Tottenham crushed bottom club Southampton 5-0.
Chelsea charge
Chelsea continued their climb up the table with a 2-1 win over Brentford at Stamford Bridge, moving to within two points of Liverpool, who lead the league with 36 points.
Marc Cucurella headed in Noni Madueke’s cross just before halftime to give Chelsea a deserved lead. Nicolas Jackson doubled the advantage in the 80th minute, and although Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo pulled one back late, Chelsea held on for their fifth straight victory.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca remains cautious about title talk, even as his side emerges as Liverpool’s main challengers.
“It’s not about how many games we win,” Maresca said. “It’s about being realistic. There are things we have to do better. That’s why I said, for me, we are not ready.”
Tottenham’s rout of Southampton was another twist in a rollercoaster season for Ange Postecoglou’s side, who have now won seven and lost seven of their 16 Premier League matches.
James Maddison opened the scoring after just 36 seconds, followed by goals from Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, and Pape Sarr during a whirlwind 25-minute spell. Maddison struck again in first-half stoppage time to make it 5-0 at the break.
In the early kick-off, Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Crystal Palace eased relegation fears with a 3-1 victory over Brighton, moving four points clear of the drop zone.
Elsewhere, Wolves sacked manager Gary O’Neil after a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat left the club mired in the relegation zone.