May 15, (THEWILL) – Manchester City mounted a determined comeback to draw 2-2 against West Ham on Sunday afternoon, keeping the defence of their English Premier League title hopes alive.
Jarrod Bowen scored two well-taken goals in the first half, before Jack Grealish pulled one back and Vladimir Coufal headed in an own goal in a sweltering atmosphere.
After Craig Dawson brought down Gabriel Jesus in the box, Riyad Mahrez had a late chance to win the game for City, but Lukasz Fabianski sprawled to his left to block the Algerian’s shot and ensure the points were shared.
West Ham had some early pressure before City got into their stride, with Rodri seeing a shot blocked before Fernandinho lashed just over the bar on a moving day at the London Stadium as home fans bid their goodbyes to veteran Mark Noble.
City, on the other hand, were caught off guard when Pablo Fornals put Bowen clean through on goal, exposing the visitors’ high line. The winger’s pace got him in the area, and he circled Ederson before scoring from a tight angle.
With the pressure heavier on their backs, City stepped up their game, with Rodri, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Gabriel Jesus all going close, however, the gauntlet was thrown down when the Hammers doubled their lead. Bowen ran through unnoticed from Michail Antonio’s ball, coolly placing into the far corner beyond Ederson to send West Ham and Liverpool fans into delirium.
But, City turned up the heat on their opponents early in the second half, quickly clawing one back. Rodri’s header deflected into Grealish’s path, and the Englishman scored to make it 2-1 thanks to a tiny deflection from Dawson.
While City attempted to build on their lead, with Jesus trying Fabianski at the near post and Bernardo Silva also coming close, their poise seemed to crumble as they gifted West Ham two great chances.
Laporte’s awful back-pass allowed Antonio to feed Bowen, who hit the side-netting, before Fernandinho’s similarly ill-judged ball put Antonio in. However, the forward chose to lob from a tight angle and completely botched it.
West Ham paid the price for their misses as City equalised from a set piece. Coufal could not afford to let go of a tantalising pass from Mahrez, but instead of clearing it, the Czech defender nodded past Fabianski to give the visitors new life.
As City pressed for a winner, a golden opportunity presented itself when Dawson collided with Jesus, and the penalty was granted after a VAR review. However, Mahrez’s effort was of sufficient height for Fabianski to save the point for his team.
With a win versus Aston Villa on the last day of the season, City will win the EPL title, while West Ham are seventh but still in contention for sixth, two points behind Manchester United.
Due to the Hammers’ superior goal difference, they are now only two points behind Manchester United in sixth place. Should West Ham win their final game, they will take the final Europa League spot if the Red Devils do not also win.
However, at the top of the standings and with one game remaining, City has moved four points clear of Liverpool. The Reds still have two games to play, but the title is firmly in City’s hands as the season draws to a close.
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.
