BEVERLY HILLS, December 15, (THEWILL) –Â For the second straight English Premier League game, Manchester City were held to a draw as West Brom snatched a point at the Etihad thanks to a Ruben Dias’ own goal.
Not only was it as lacklustre as the Manchester derby, but it appeared that City no longer possesses that cutting edge, clinical instinct they have so often shown under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage.
Even though the hosts dominated possession early in the tie, they almost found themselves behind when striker Karlan Grant found space in their area. But, he could only to curl a tame effort straight at keeper Ederson Moraes to Guardiola’s relief.
In the 25th minute, Kevin De Bruyne’s excellent corner was met with a Rodri header but it went over the bar as City domination continued in search of an opener.
That opener came on the stroke of the half-hour mark. Right back Joao Cancelo fed pacy forward Raheem Sterling and the Englishman rolled it back for midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to score his first Premier League goal in 359 days.
The defence of the visitors was rend again by the set-piece genius of De Bruyne in the 38th minute. But, Cancelo ended up volleying wide from a deep angle.
That miss proved costly when West Brom struck through Nigerian full back Semi Ajayi. The defender shot at goal from the edge of the box and it was heading off target until it was diverted off defender Ruben Dias and into the net to bring the scores level at the interval.
Eight minutes into the second half, De Bruyne prodded wide from 18 yards. Then, he turned provider with a corner, from which central striker Gabriel Jesus could only head over.
Sam Johnstone, in goal for Albion produced excellent saves to thwart Jesus and De Bruyne as City ramped up the pressure. With the scores still unchanged and with 15 minutes remaining, Guardiola introduced Sergio Aguero. Again, Johnstone manned his duties with precision.
The keeper kept out a close-range header from Gundogan, who subsequently sent a free-kick into the side netting. Then, he spread himself to deny Sterling a last-gasp winner and seal a deserved draw.
A trip to high-flying Southampton follows for City on Saturday, while West Brom host Aston Villa in a West Midlands derby.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
