Liverpool will like nothing more than to officially hand over its title as English Premier League champion to Manchester City on Sunday.
The city moved to the brink of reclaiming the league crown by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Saturday. One more win will complete the job for Pep Guardiola’s players — unless Liverpool does it for them with a victory at second-placed Manchester United, the only team that can mathematically stop City.
To have any realistic chance of finishing in the top four, winning at Old Trafford is a must for Jurgen Klopp’s team — even if that would mean its reign as English champion ends after barely 10 months.
Of course, there are plenty of more chances for City to wrap up the third title in four years, and a fifth in the last decade. Should Liverpool fail to beat United, City can become champion again with a home win over Chelsea next Saturday, one of four remaining games for Guardiola’s team.
The champagne is very much on ice for City.
Or, as Guardiola put it after the win at Palace: “We can start to think about putting it in the fridge.”
Sergio Aguero, City’s all-time record scorer who is leaving the club at the end of the season, took advantage of a rare start in the team by scoring a typically clinical goal to set City on its way in the 57th minute at Selhurst Park.
His control was instant off Benjamin Mendy’s pass before Aguero moved into the area and rifled a rising shot into the roof of the net just inside the near post.
“What a goal, what an action, what a man,” Guardiola purred.
Ferran Torres added the second just 84 seconds later as City belatedly flexed its muscles after a slow start, mainly due to Guardiola rotating heavily to give his first-choice players rest between matches against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals. City leads 2-1 after the first leg in Paris, with the return match on Tuesday.
