Perhaps the occasion got to the Manchester City team, but what should have been a case of “brushing aside” a struggling team, ended up being a goalless draw. In fact, this is only the second time they have drawn a blank in the Premier League during their extraordinary season. Huddersfield were the team to deny the Sky Blues a goal on this occasion, who will regard this point as invaluable as the season draws to a close.
Neither the City team or the fans will be too concerned about this draw however, as celebrations were on the agenda from the start. As the final whistle blew on what would have been, on any other day, a pretty dull trip to the footie, some of the fans got a bit excited over the affair and trickled onto the pitch to celebrate with the players.
The occasion was, of course, the lifting of the Premier League trophy in front of the home crowd. The fact that Yaya Touré will not be at Manchester City next season meant that this was a special day for him – and his teammates were quick to commemorate him as he stepped up onto the podium. Vincent company will also cherish this moment as the third Premier League trophy he has lifted.
With two games remaining, Manchester City are still on course to smash the previous record points tally of 95, set by Chelsea in 2005, as well as a few other records. Their two remaining fixtures present a good opportunity to reach an astonishing 100 points. It’s fair to say that Manchester City have knocked the Premier League out of the park this year, and the trophy has perhaps never been more deserved than this one.
Huddersfield on the other hand, remain in a precarious 16th position three points above the drop zone. The fact that 17th-placed Southampton play 18th-placed Swansea in a midweek fixture could make a stark difference to the final standings, as this means that one of these two teams is guaranteed to drop points. This will put some Terrier fans’ minds at ease, but one last push may still be required by their team.
Perhaps above all, this draw will give Huddersfield some confidence going into their tough final games, especially following a run of strangely jaded performances from the team. Huddersfield have managed to crawl themselves out of many spells of poor form this season, and holding the champions on their own turf may stimulate a strong end to their introductory season in the Premier League.
Despite Manchester City’s attacking prowess, Huddersfield defended effectively and also had a handful of decent chances themselves. This will without a doubt need to be repeated if they are to get anything out of their next two games.
Both Manchester City and Huddersfield have penultimate midweek fixtures this Wednesday. The Etihad plays host to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Huddersfield take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Then on the final day, Manchester City are away at Southampton, and Town will be hoping to spoil Arsene Wenger’s final game as Arsenal manager.
Written by Harry Mahon.
