LONDON — When Liverpool were romping to
the title last season
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling promised there would be
a "massive reaction" from Pep Guardiola's chastened side and his
ominous prediction has proved to be spot on.
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A win for City at Crystal Palace on Saturday and defeat for
second-placed
Manchester United against Liverpool 24 hours later would confirm
City's restoration to the throne with four games of the season remaining.
It would be their fifth
Premier League title in 10 seasons
and a third in five since Guardiola brought his special brand of football to
the Etihad.
Even by his own standards it would complete a sublime week
for Guardiola whose team won a fourth-successive League Cup last Sunday, then
produced an excellent second-half display to beat Paris St Germain 2-1 in their
Champions League semi-final, first-leg on Wednesday.
That performance in Paris put City on the brink of a first
Champions League final, and Guardiola in sight of delivering the European crown
club owner Sheikh Mansour hired him to deliver.
While next week's second leg looms large, Guardiola's
immediate focus will be on securing what he described after last weekend's
League Cup triumph as the "most important title".
A 25th league win of the season at Selhurst Park on Saturday
would leave City on 80 points, with neighbors United on 67.
City cannot attain the points totals of their first two
Premier League titles under Guardiola (100 and 98) and whatever happens it will
be the lowest tally for champions since Leicester City won it with 81 points in
2016.
But statistics aside, in many respects this year's title
charge, played out inside empty stadiums and during the dark lockdown days of
winter, might be the sweetest for City.
They were left in Liverpool's dust cloud last season,
surrendering their title by 18 points, and it appeared the balance of power had
shifted to Merseyside.
The retaliation, despite a stuttering start to another
COVID-19 hit campaign, has been emphatic.
A win at Palace would leave City 26 points better off than
Liverpool whose only focus now is to try and make sure they scramble back into
the top four.
"The Premier League is the nicest one, the one where I
am most proud when we are able to do it," Guardiola said after last
weekend's League Cup triumph against Tottenham Hotspur.
"We are 10 points clear, we need two victories, and in
between the games in this crazy schedule we are going to try to win the next
one against Crystal Palace."
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has known the
title race was effectively over weeks ago, but the thought of a loss to bitter
rivals Liverpool handing the title to City is not one the Norwegian would
relish.
However, with United distracted by a Europa League
semi-final against Roma, Liverpool will be fired-up for a game in which defeat
could leave their hopes of playing in next season's Champions League in
tatters.
Liverpool are in sixth place, four points behind
fourth-placed Chelsea whose win at fifth-placed West Ham United last week put
them firmly in pole position in the top-four race.
Chelsea can take another big step towards securing fourth
place when they host a Fulham side sliding towards relegation on Saturday. West
Ham's dream of finishing in the top four is fading although victory at Burnley
on Monday will keep the Hammers in the mix as the season reaches its climax.
Third-placed Leicester can move 10 clear of West Ham when
they kick off the weekend away at Southampton on Friday.
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