Dutifully, doggedly, Maurizio Sarri’s players trailed after Manchester City, after the ball. “We play five hypothetical strong teams in the league, and Chelsea is the last one,” the Manchester City coach said. What he meant, of course, was abundantly clear: Theoretically, there are five Premier League teams who would pretend to be Manchester City’s equal. It took a point at Anfield, against Liverpool, and would have won had Riyad Mahrez converted a late penalty. Manchester United — the only one of its peers City has faced at home — was dispatched, easily, a few weeks ago.

Source: New York Times December 08, 2018 23:15 UTC