LONDON • Manchester City's crowning as Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons will have to wait - at least until tomorrow - after closest rivals Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-1 yesterday.
The Red Devils will host Leicester tomorrow and Liverpool two days later and should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team, on 70 points, lose either game, then Pep Guardiola's men will become the 2020-21 title winners.
But if United win both clashes, the earliest City, who hold a 10-point lead and need three more points from their remaining three top-flight games, can begin their celebrations will be on Friday, when they travel to Newcastle.
Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and substitute Edinson Cavani all scored in the second half to put City's title coronation on ice.
Bertrand Traore fired Villa ahead in the 24th minute with a brilliant strike into the top corner after some sloppy defending by the visitors, who gave the ball away several times deep in their own half.
United's fine record at Villa Park, where they have not lost in the league since 1995, looked at risk. But Fernandes equalised with a 52nd-minute penalty, sending goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez the wrong way after Douglas Luiz sent Paul Pogba tumbling in the box.
It was the Portuguese international's 27th goal in all competitions this season - the most by a midfielder for a top-flight club in a single campaign since Frank Lampard for Chelsea in 2009-10.
Greenwood turned the match on its head four minutes later with a neat shot on the turn from inside the penalty area after spinning Tyrone Mings, before Cavani finished the job with a glancing header in the 87th minute.
Villa's Ollie Watkins was sent off two minutes for a second yellow card after he was adjudged to have dived in United's area.
Most pundits still feel City are champions-elect but United want to run them as close as possible, after securing a record 10th league win this season despite conceding first.
"It is some achievement," Greenwood said.
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Manchester United have won 10 English Premier League matches after conceding first this season, a record by a team in a single season in the competition's history.
"We don't really want to go behind but it gives us a little boost to come back and get the win.
"It was well improved (in the second half). Ole said his bits in the changing room. It seemed to pay off. We just concentrate on ourselves, we take it game by game. We want to get as many points as we can and keep the pressure on."
Teammate Luke Shaw added: "We are just focusing on ourselves, even more so we look at the City result and we are disappointed with the points we have let go this season. We have two games in four days, we need to be ready."
In the earlier game, Brighton, on 37 points, blew a chance to secure their survival in a dramatic 2-1 defeat by Wolves.
The Seagulls took the lead after 13 minutes through a header from Lewis Dunk but the captain was sent off eight minutes after the break, turning the tide in favour of the visitors.
Adama Traore fired home the equaliser before Morgan Gibbs-White grabbed the winner in the 90th minute. Brighton's Neal Maupay was sent off for abusive language towards the officials after the final whistle.
REUTERS
