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MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City smashed through the 100-goal barrier in the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday that moved the team two points clear with a game left and within touching distance of a second title in three years. Nike Free 5.0 Heren . City turned a match gripped with tension into a procession with four goals in the final 26 minutes, with Edin Dzekos double ending Villas stubborn resistance and Yaya Toures spectacular solo goal completing the scoring in injury time. A draw at home to West Ham on Sunday will be enough for City to settle a thrilling title race, with only Liverpool capable of stopping them. Chelsea, in third place, has been knocked out of contention. If City does go on to capture the championship, it will have done so in style under attack-minded coach Manuel Pellegrini -- just as was desired by the clubs Abu Dhabi owners. "In the way we play, I am very happy to win the title this way," said Pellegrini, speaking as if the Premier League trophy was already in Citys hands. "There are different ways to win titles -- I choose this one with attractive football ... Maybe you can win titles other ways. For me, the esthetic part is very important." City has been most pundits favourite the whole season but the team is doing it the hard way -- just like in 2012 when it won the title with two injury-time goals in its final match. Pellegrinis side has been top for just 11 days this season - compared to 59 for Liverpool, 64 for third-place Chelsea and 128 for fourth-place Arsenal. But City has hit form just as Liverpool has started to blunder, dropping five points in its last two games. City, by contrast, has won its last four matches and has a superior goal difference of 13 to Liverpool. Also Wednesday, Sunderland beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to guarantee another season in the Premier League and virtually relegate Norwich, which is three points behind West Brom but with a much inferior goal difference. There was a party atmosphere inside Etihad Stadium as City fans celebrated Toures brilliant goal, a powerful run through Villas defence from inside his own half. For the first 63 minutes, however, it had been very different. Villas packed defence had held firm under constant pressure and it was looking like one of those nights for City. Pellegrini remained calm on the touchline, though, and the hosts didnt abandon their passing philosophy, eventually making the breakthrough in the 64th when full back Pablo Zabaleta -- on yet another raid down the right -- crossed for Dzeko to steer home from close range. The goal was greeted by an outpouring of relief by the home fans but Dzeko -- and Zabaleta for that matter -- werent finished. From another teasing centre by Zabaleta, Samir Nasris effort was saved by goalkeeper Brad Guzan but the ball landed at the feet of Dzeko, who dribbled the ball into the corner in the 72nd for his fifth goal in three games. Villa started to push forward and that played into Citys hands. Toure cut the ball back for substitute Stevan Jovetic to curl a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area in the 89th, before the Ivory Coast midfielder capped the win with an emphatic fourth, his 20th of the campaign. "An amazing amount of goals," Pellegrini said, who hailed Toure as "the absolute complete midfielder." Chelseas Frank Lampard is the only other central midfielder to score 20 or more goals in the Premier League era, in the 2009-10 season. A month ago, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said it would be a "miracle" if his team stayed up but thats exactly what it has done after first-half goals by Jack Colback and Fabio Borini against West Brom. Sunderland has picked up 13 points from its last five matches -- including wins over Chelsea and Manchester United and a draw at City. "I dont know if you will see something similar ever again," said Poyet, whose team is only the second since the Premier League started in 1992 to be last at Christmas and stay up. Despite the loss, West Brom is effectively safe as it is three points clear of Norwich but with a goal difference 17 better ahead of Sundays final round of the season. Nike Air Max 2015 Dames . The visitors failed to create any chances of note until Nuri Sahin tested Braunschweig keeper Daniel Davari with a well-placed free kick in the 28th minute. Aubameyang opened the scoring three minutes later, when Robert Lewandowski played a one-two with Marco Reus and lifted the ball over the outrushing goalkeeper for him to head into the unguarded net. Nike Air Max 2015 Kopen . Today we ask: which teams pose the biggest threat to Miamis three-peat aspirations? Duane Watsons take: No team in the league can stop LeBron James, but this may be the first time his Miami Heat face a legitimate threat from within their own conference.LANDOVER, Md. -- For his first preseason game as an NFL head coach, Jay Gruden said his goal was to "eliminate the chaos" on the sideline. Did he succeed? "It was chaotic more so for me than everybody else," the Washington Redskins coach said with a chuckle. "It was a little crazy just with all the headsets." Gruden only needed the offence pumped into his ears during his three years as an offensive co-ordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now he was monitoring offence, defence and special teams and managing all the constituent parts. "Having 85 to 90 guys on the sideline," he said. "Its rough." History will record that Gruden managed his debut just fine. The Redskins beat the New England Patriots 23-6 Thursday night. "Unfortunately," he said, "it doesnt count." Robert Griffin III played only one series, and Tom Brady and most of the Patriots starters didnt play at all in a game that served mostly as an audition for players trying to move up the depth chart or simply make the roster. Griffin completed 2 of 4 passes for 9 yards, and Alfred Morris ran for 27 yards in an 11-play drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal from Kai Forbath. Forbath hit the right upright from 34 yards, but he was given a second chance because the Redskins were whistled for delay of game. "We came out and did what we wanted to do," Griffin said. "Got the 1s in and out, had an effective drive. Got some points, almost had a touchdown." That was enough Griffin for Gruden, who is in charge of reviving the Redskins -- and the franchise quarterback, in particular -- after last years 3-13 tension-filled season that got coach Mike Shanahan fired. Gruden, 47, looked boyish manning the sideline in a burgundy horizontal-striped team shirt, while New Englands Bill Belichick sported the more traditional Patriots short-sleeve blue -- it was too warm for his hoodie. Griffin, who didnt get to play in the preseason a year ago while rehabbing from major knee surgery, said Gruden was "funny" on the sideline -- an adjective most definitely not associated with Shanahan. "Hes not telling me knock-knock jokes as hes giving me plays," Griffin said, "But just on the sideline, youu kind of get to see how (the coaches) dialogue. Nike Air Max 90 Vt Heren. They have a good time on the sideline and thats good to see." The Patriots held sway earlier in the week when the teams held three days of joint practices at Washingtons training camp facility in Richmond, Virginia. The sessions showed the Redskins have a ways to go before they can match the polish and efficiency of a perennial Super Bowl contender. So Thursday turned into a well-deserved day off for all but nine of New Englands projected opening day starting 22, including Brady, top off-season acquisition Darrelle Revis, receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman and linebacker Jerod Mayo. Tight end Rob Gronkowski also remains out as he recovers from knee surgery. The backups failed to do much to pick up the slack. Ryan Mallett started at quarterback and completed 5 of 12 passes for 55 yards. Second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo played the second half and went 8 for 12 for 141 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown to Brian Tyms. "I didnt think really we did very many things the way we wanted to do them tonight," Belichick said. "We just werent very good in any phase of the game. We had the ball on the ground. Didnt play well enough on defence. Didnt move the ball, were in too many long-yardage situations. Not good enough in the kicking game. So just overall, weve got a lot of work to do." The Redskins prized free agent pickup, receiver DeSean Jackson, was also sidelined after hurting his left ankle during Wednesdays practice. Among others sitting out for Washington were receiver Pierre Garcon, safety Ryan Clark and safety Phillip Thomas -- all nursing hamstring injuries. Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy each threw touchdown passes for the Redskins, who have won seven consecutive preseason games. Last year they won more games in the preseason (four) than in the regular season (three). Cousins finished 9 for 13 for 103 yards. McCoy was 8 for 9 for 102 yards. Notes: Patriots second-year defensive tackle Chris Jones left with an ankle injury. ... Forbath, facing a challenge from draft pick Zach Hocker, was short on a 46-yard attempt and put a kickoff out of bounds, while Hocker made field goals from 27 and 39 yards. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
