[Sport] Manchester City take title lead into last day as Kompany goal beats Leicester

[Lunix I]

Perhaps Gary Neville put it best in his commentary role from the television gantry: “Where do you want your statue, Vincent Kompany?” It was, without question, the goal of a lifetime from the Manchester City captain and the rewards will be measured in silver if his team can extend their winning 13-game sequence by just one more match. It is simple now: a win at Brighton on Sunday and there will be nothing Liverpool, a point behind in second position, can do about it.No wonder every single player made a beeline for Kompany at the final whistle.

One by one they embraced the Belgian. They were soon joined by the substitutes, various members of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff and the tracksuited players who were not in the squad. Everyone went to the same player. And then it was Guardiola’s turn, with a bear hug for the man who may just have struck the decisive blow at the top of the table.

Bernardo Silva catches the eye before Kompany leaves indelible mark Read more Kompany might not get a statue – not yet, anyway – but his fourth championship winner’s medal from his 11 years at the club would make up for that, one imagines, and, if the trophy does remain in Manchester, there can be no doubt how people will remember the defining moment of the title race.

There were 70 minutes on the clock when Kompany took possession of the ball and started loping forwards. Nobody in a Leicester shirt went to close him down because, well, it was Vincent Kompany, and he was not going to shoot, was he? Yet they underestimated him. Kompany took the ball into striking range and pulled back his right foot to take aim. It was a mix of desperation and inspiration, all in one. His shot was still rising as it flew past Kasper Schmeichel into what is known, in the parlance of the sport, as the “postage stamp”, just beneath the crossbar at its join with the post.$

It was the 100th home goal City have scored in all competitions this season. Brilliantly it was the first time Kompany had tried a shot from outside the penalty area since 2013. Sergio Agüero later told Kompany he had been shouting for him not to shoot. “Everyone was telling me the same,” Kompany clarified. Yet the ball was struck with curve and spin so it was arcing away from Schmeichel. It was struck majestically. And in that moment, amid all the euphoria and the unmistakable feeling we were watching the champions-in-waiting, suddenly it did not seem to matter it had been such a stodgy performance from Guardiola’s team.

Kompany certainly knew the significance of that goal: he was in tears as he walked round the pitch at the end to thank the crowd for their backing. He and his teammates had toyed with the emotions of those supporters. It was anything but straightforward for the reigning champions and, until Kompany decided to take matters into his own hands, it was shaping up to be a potentially calamitous evening.

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by - Dark
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