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Manchester City secured a late 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League on Sunday, August 27. The result sees them go top of the league with a perfect three wins from three games.
The Blades entered this game on the back of two successive defeats on their return to the league. They lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace on opening day, before falling 2-1 to Nottingham Forest last week. However, with nothing to lose against the defending champions, Paul Heckingbottom fielded a strong lineup.
City, on the other hand, defeated Burnley 3-0 on the opening day, before securing a narrow 1-0 win against Newcastle United last week as they began their title defense in commanding fashion. Despite injury to Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola's men looked primed to defend their crown as he fielded a strong lineup.
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The first half saw Manchester City dominate possession and control the tempo of the game. However, their inability to break down Sheffield United in the first period was also apparent, which was mostly down to their own shortcomings.
Guardiola's men attempted 12 shots in the first period but hit the target just thrice. Erling Haaland also missed a penalty in the 37th minute.
Hanging on by the skin of their teeth, Sheffield United were lucky to be deadlocked with City at 0-0 at the break.
The second half was slightly more positive for the hosts as they kept the ball marginally longer and finally attempted a shot. However, they fell behind in the 63rd minute after a moment of magic from Jack Grealish to set up Haaland for the opening goal.
Sheffield remarkably scored with their first shot on target of the game, which came all the way in the 85th minute, courtesy of Jayden Bogle. However, their jubilation was short-lived as Rodri grabbed the winning goal for Manchester City just three minutes later.
The champions held on to secure a 2-1 win, and on that note, let's take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5. Manchester City barely allowed Sheffield Utd a sniff of the ball
While most teams have now become accustomed to what lies in store for them while facing Pep Guardiola's side, their sheer quality shone through against newly-promoted Sheffield United.
Manchester City had the ball for a staggering 83% of the first period, completing 391 passes to their hosts' 82. They attempted 12 shots, with just three on target as they lacked clinicality in front of goal. The Blades, meanwhile, had to wait until late in the second half to attempt their first shot, let alone get one on target.
The hosts were pinned so far back that they needed to make a jaw-dropping 20 clearances in just the first half. Usually, a defensive unit collectively touches these numbers after a full 90-minute, end-to-end game.
#4. Erling Haaland smashed his spot-kick onto the woodwork
Manchester City was playing in full flow as they game drew closer to the half-time interval but had failed to score. As they attempted to carve out an opening, Julian Alvarez found himself in a good passing position in Sheffield United's box. As he geared up to release the ball, he was fouled by Blades captain John Egan, and a penalty was awarded.
Erling Haaland stepped up to take the kick but rifled his powerful effort onto the woodwork as the scores remained 0-0 in the 37th minute. It was only his second miss in 10 attempts for the Cityzens.
#3. City controlled three-quarters of the game
Usually, teams dominate games they win in phases, where each of the 11 players on the pitch puts in extra effort to try and score goals or prevent them. However, this Pep Guardiola side is increasingly looking like they are a team built to dominate and control the entire 90 minutes of a game.
While realistically it is impossible, it seemed that way until the 76th minute, when Sheffield United had their first real attack of the game. You can see in the graph below, that it was all Manchester City (blue) until very late in the second half.
Following his penalty miss, Haaland opened the scoring in the 63rd minute following an assist by Jack Grealish.
#2. Sheffield United pulled one back against the run of play
As the game drew closer to the final whistle, it looked like Manchester City would secure their second successive 1-0 win on the bounce. However, Jayden Bogle gave the home fans three minutes of feeling like they were on parity with the defending champions.
Kyle Walker had a lapse in concentration and made a mistake that allowed Sheffield extra time and space in the final third. The ball fell straight to Bogle, who took a composed touch before firing a shot into the bottom-left corner past Ederson's outstretched arms.
#1. Rodri the man of the moment for City yet again
Just like he did in the UEFA Champions League Final against Inter Milan last season, Rodri stepped up when his team needed him the most. The Spaniard was in the right place at the right time as Walker's pass was poorly controlled by substitute Phil Foden. The ball fell kindly to Rodri, who, without breaking his stride fired a shot emphatically into the back of the net to restore Manchester City's lead.
It was his second goal of the season in just three games so far, matching his total over the course of 38 games last season.
