James Milner believes Manchester City can retain their Premier League title

James Milner: Believes City can overhaul Chelsea in the title race

James Milner believes Manchester City can win their remaining 10 games and retain their Premier League crown.

City returned to winning ways against rock-bottom Leicester City on Wednesday night after suffering back-to-back defeats to Barcelona and Liverpool.

Chelsea remain five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand but, after the late charges that won titles in 2012 and 2014, Milner is not giving up hope.

The England international, who scored City's second goal in the 89th minute against Leicester, said: "I think we have played better but it is pleasing to get a result. It was important to bounce back after the disappointment of the weekend.

"Now it is about recovering from this period and getting back to 100 per cent, then working on things that we have been struggling on and getting back to the form we know we can hit and have shown in games, for periods of maybe 10,15 or 20 minutes at a time.

"We have got a bit sloppy. It is important we step that up and do it for the 95 minutes of a game and not just in periods. That is what you need to do to be successful.

"We know what is in front of us now. The remaining games, we have to win, and we are more than capable of doing that. We have done it before. It is important we build on this win and take that forward."

City and their manager Manuel Pellegrini suffered a barrage of criticism after the Barcelona and Liverpool defeats damaged their European and domestic title hopes.

However, goalkeeper Joe Hart believes the result against Leicester sent out an important statement by Pellegrini, who dropped out-of-form captain Vincent Kompany and playmaker Samir Nasri among five changes.

Hart said: "We've had criticism off people who don't particularly matter to us. What matters is what our manager thinks, and what we think as players. We showed where our heads are at with this result.

"We'll keep trying to win every game we've got, same as we have done for the past couple of years, when we've been chasing titles and cups."

David de Gea is an unbelievable goalkeeper, says Louis van Gaal

LVG: David de Gea 'unbelievable'

Louis van Gaal called Manchester United’s David de Gea “unbelievable” as the goalkeeper once again starred in the 1-0 victory at Newcastle.
Ashley Young grabbed the all-important winning goal on 89 minutes but United had their goalkeeper to thank in stoppage-time when he denied Papiss Cisse with a fine save.
De Gea has been repeatedly linked with Real Madrid after a string of superb performances and has just over a year remaining on his existing deal, which was signed when he joined United from Atletico Madrid in an £18m deal in 2011.
Van Gaal concedes the 24-year-old goalkeeper, who was voted man of the match by the club's fans on their official Twitter page, may be tempted to return to Spain but hopes he can be persuaded to stay.
"David De Gea, this year, is unbelievable," said van Gaal. 
"In my career I have a lot of good goalkeepers, for example Edwin van der Sar was one of my goalkeepers and (Victor) Valdes also with Barcelona, but De Gea is having a great season.”
United extended their run to just two defeats in 22 games in all competitions courtesy of Young's late intervention, which came when Mehdi Abeid, under intense pressure from Wayne Rooney, stabbed an ill-advised back-pass towards keeper Tim Krul, whose efforts to clear only served to tee up the midfielder.

David De Gea, this year, is unbelievable.
Louis van Gaal
Van Gaal felt it was no more than his team deserved on a night when they dominated for long periods.
"When you lose points - and we have done that a lot of times in this competition - when you are the better team, then it is very disappointing. That's also a big influence in the mental state of my team," he said. 
"But today, we rewarded ourselves at the end of the match in a fantastic moment because all the competitors have won also their games.
"Now we are still fourth, we have dominated the game in an away match, difficult ground, so everybody is full of confidence to play against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and that's very important."

Paul Merson writes off Manchester City Premier League title hopes

Manchester City: will they lose out to Chelsea?

Paul Merson believes Manchester City will struggle to retain their Premier League title and thinks Manchester United will miss out on a Champions League place.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men have stuttered of late and defeat at Liverpool at the weekend left City five points behind Chelsea, having played a game more.

Both sides earned three points on Wednesday night, but it was Chelsea's 1-0 success at West Ham that helped convince Merson that the title is heading south.

“I don’t think City have much of a chance,” Merson told Sky Sports News HQ. “They are not playing well.

“They rode their luck against Leicester, who should have had two stonewall penalties. Chelsea are a good, good team, and I’d be shocked if Chelsea threw this away.

“Chelsea have some tough matches coming up, and if City can win their next six, then they are in with a chance.

“But that was a big win at West Ham (for Chelsea).”

Manuel Pellegrini says it was very important to pick up a win after a disappointing week

Merson also insisted that his former club Arsenal have the experience to finish third, while predicting heartache for Manchester United fans in their quest to return to the Champions League.

“Arsenal do it every year. When things get really tight at the end, they always finish well,” Merson added.

“After that, I think Liverpool will finish above Man United, they are flying at the moment. Daniel Sturridge is back and will be fresh for the final 10 games.

“That makes a massive difference.”

Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (agg: 2-6): Neymar scores twice as Luis Enrique's side reach Copa del Rey final

Neymar: The Brazilian has scored 26 goals this season.

Neymar scored twice and Luis Suarez was also on target as Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-1 to reach the Copa del Rey final.

The 6-2 aggregate win means the Catalan giants will play in their fourth final in the past five years, but the victory was marred by an injury to Barcelona midfileder Sergio Busquets, who was stretchered off with a serious looking ankle injury.

Neymar opened the scoring after just three minutes when he nudged the ball past keeper Sergio Asenjo after a cross from Lionel Messi.

Villarreal fought back and rallied when Jonathan dos Santos converted a Jaume Costa cross after 39 minutes to level the score on the night.

However, any realistic chance of a Villareal comeback was extinguished when they were reduced to ten men after Tomas Pina was sent off after 64 minutes for a reckless challenge on Neymar from behind.

Suarez then made it 2-1 after latching onto a long ball from Javier Mascherano and rounding the keeper in the 73rd minute.

Neymar put the game out of sight when he grabbed his second goal two minutes from time with a header from close range from Xavi’s cross.

Barca will meet Atletic Bilbao in the final after the Basque club beat Espanyol 2-0 in the other semi-final to go through 3-1 on aggregate. 

Adritz Aduriz and Xabier Etxeita got the goals in the first half for Bilbao.

The loss of Busquets could prove an expensive price for Barcelona to pay for a place in the final as they face Real Madrid in a crucial La Liga clash and host Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in the coming weeks.

Sergio Busquets: Agonising for the Barcelona midfielder

Barcelona eased through their Copa del Rey semi-final but suffered an injury to star midfielder Sergio Busquets.

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The Spanish international had to be stretchered from the field with a serious looking ankle injury as Barcelona sealed their place in the final with a 3-1 win over Villarreal on Wednesday.

"Busquets has a high ankle sprain in his right ankle," Barcelona said in a statement.

"He will undergo more tests on Thursday to discover the exact extent of the injury."

The 26-year-old had his ankle stood on by Villarreal midfielder Tomas Pina in the build-up to the hosts equaliser on the night scored by former Barca man Jonathan dos Santos.

"It is the bad news of the night without a shadow of a doubt," Barca boss Luis Enrique added. "I can't give a diagnosis before the doctors look at him. We know he will be out for a while, how long the doctors will decide."

Neymar scored an early opener before Dos Santos sent the sides in level at the break.

Pina was then shown a straight red card 20 minutes into the second half for another heavy challenge on Neymar.

Luis Suarez made it 2-1 before Neymar rounded off the scoring to seal a 6-2 aggregate victory.

However, the loss of Busquets could prove an expensive price to pay for a place in the final for the Catalans as they face Real Madrid in a crucial La Liga clash before hosting Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Premier League round-up: Six of top seven win as Chelsea maintain lead over Manchester City

Enner Valencia is put under pressure by Kurt Zouma

Premier League leaders Chelsea proved too strong for West Ham as a goal from Eden Hazard proved enough to give them a 1-0 victory at Upton Park.

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Jose Mourinho’s side took the lead midway through the first half in the derby clash and held onto the lead to seal a victory that keeps them five points clear of Manchester City.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side laboured for long periods of their game against bottom club Leicester at the Etihad Stadium before coming out 2-0 winners.

David Silva gave the home side the lead as he slotted home from six yards in first-half stoppage time before substitute James Milner secured the points three minutes from the final whistle after he converted a cross from Jesus Navas.

Third-placed Arsenal kept up their push for a Champions League place with a 2-1 win away to QPR, with all the goals coming in the second half at Loftus Road.

Olivier Giroud gave the Gunners the lead on 64 minutes before Alexis Sanchez doubled their advantage five minutes later having previously struggled to make his mark on the game.

Arsene Wenger was given a scare as Charlie Austin scored his 15th goal of the season for QPR late on but Arsenal held on for the win.

Manchester United left it late before claiming victory away to Newcastle.

Manager Louis van Gaal looked to have settled for a draw when he sent Michael Carrick on in the closing stages and left striker Radamel Falcao on the bench.

But moments later Ashley Young pounced on a goalkeeping mistake to score the winner, slotting home from eight yards after Tim Krul played the ball straight to him.

Liverpool’s 2-0 win at home to strugglers Burnley would have been enough to move them level on points with United if Young had not scored but instead they remain two points behind them.

A stunning half-volley from Jordan Henderson handed the advantage to the Reds and Daniel Sturridge converted a precise cross from Henderson on 52 minutes to make sure of the win.

A health scare involving Swansea forward Bafetimbi Gomis looked like casting a shadow over their trip to Tottenham.

The Frenchman collapsed on his way back to the centre-circle after Nacer Chadli had given Spurs the lead, with Gomis carried off on a stretcher after receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch.

Coming three years after Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the same ground, the incident caused concern for supporters and fellow players.

But Gomis, who has a history of fainting, was conscious when he left the pitch and Swansea later confirmed the striker was fine.

After the delay, Ki Sung-yeung drew Swansea level but second-half goals from Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend handed the advantage back to Spurs.

Gylfi Sigurdsson's 89th-minute strike ensured a frantic finish and Swansea would have taken a point but for a stunning save by Hugo Lloris to keep out Federico Fernandez's header.

In the night’s other game, Stoke secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Everton at the Britannia Stadium as Mark Hughes' team made it three victories in a row.

A superb Victor Moses header put Stoke ahead after 32 minutes and Mame Biram Diouf sealed the win six minutes from time to heap further pressure on Everton boss Roberto Martinez.

Brendan Rodgers admitted he feared getting the sack at Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers: Side hope to make it 13 unbeaten on Wednesday evening

Brendan Rodgers has admitted he feared the sack at Liverpool prior to their switch in formation that has triggered their climb up the Premier League table.

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Brendan Rodgers has suggested he is pleased with the form that his Liverpool side are showing and believes they are back to near their best.

Since Christmas, the Reds have been the Premier League’s form team, posting the top flight's only unbeaten record this calendar year, and moving from the bottom half of the table to the verge of top four.

Before the transformation, Rodgers admits he was struggling to work out the Reds’ best formation with the 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace in November letting him know that drastic changes were needed.

“It wasn't working. We had a huge challenge, probably the biggest I have had as a coach or manager,” he admitted.

“We had no identity and everyone could see it. We just weren’t the team I had built over a couple of years, certainly created the identity with the way we played.

“I knew I had to do something radical because I had seen enough of the players to know we were not going to be able to shape up and work and play as we had done for the previous couple of years with what we had got.

"That’s what I am, an innovative coach, and I needed to find a way to make us play better.”

Rodgers quickly switched to a radical 3-4-3 formation which saw midfielder Emre Can operating in defence, £16m flop Mario Balotelli axed, and playing Raheem Sterling in a more advanced role.

Defeat at Man United in mid-December exposed the new system’s flaws, but Rodgers reckoned he’d seen a return of the flair and invention that had characterised last season’s title bid.

Since then, Liverpool have reduced the-then 10-point gap on United to just a couple of points and hope to make it 13 games unbeaten in Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Burnley at Anfield.

Rodgers admits Liverpool’s early-season struggles were a huge wake-up call and thinks the experience of his sacking at Reading has made him wiser.

“I certainly wasn’t going to roll over and die. I will always fight for my life,” he said. “After the Palace game in particular, I felt it doesn’t matter how much support you have, the team is not functioning and it could not go on really.

“I respect and understand that. My experience at Reading told me that. That’s what I learned from that sacking there - it doesn't matter how much support you have in the boardroom, you have to get results and you have to win.

“I went in with the full backing of the chairman, who was great to me, and I got 20 games. Even though it was a three year project and they wanted me there and I was the guy who had moulded the club more than anyone, I got the sack after 20 games.”

The answer was three at the back, which covered defensive frailty, added an extra body in midfield, and most importantly, gave the manager his own identity back, by getting his flair players on the ball.

“Everyone is talking about the system and how dynamic it is, and the fluency. I should have done that earlier! It is a complex way in which we are working and playing, but it suits what we have,” he explained.

“It was just about the timing and the timing was right for the Manchester United game. By that stage I was comfortable that we had the players to make it work.

“When you have so many attacking players who are gifted technically, you need to get them on the ball as high up the field as you can. In order to do that, you need to be able to press the ball. That's how I work.”

Man City v Leicester preview: Manuel Pellegrini needs response

The pressure is growing on Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini

Manchester City are hoping to get their season back on track at home to Leicester City after defeats against Barcelona and Liverpool.

The pressure is growing on City boss Manuel Pellegrini after a dismal week in the Champions League and the Premier League.

Both the Spanish giants in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg and Liverpool in the Premier League exploited space between the lines in Pellegrini’s decision to play a 4-4-2 and it now looks increasingly likely that City will end the season trophyless.

They are five points behind Chelsea in the title race and have played one game more than Jose Mourinho’s men.

Leicester have had over a week’s preparation for this clash as their weekend home match with Chelsea had to be rearranged due to the Capital One Cup final.

Nigel Pearson’s side remain rooted to the bottom of the league but they are only four points from safety despite winning just two of their last 21 league games.

However, the relegation favourites have competed competitively, losing nine games by just a one-goal margin over the course of the season.

Team news

Nigel Pearson has admitted Leicester have a tough test in facing Man City

Man City have a fully-fit squad to choose from but it's likely Pellegrini will make changes from the Liverpool defeat with Wilfried Bony potentially replacing Edin Dzeko in attack. 

Pearson has no new injury worries either with only goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel missing as he continues his recovery from a broken foot. 

Opta facts

Frank Lampard has already scored more PL goals against Leicester with Man City (one in one game) than he did for Chelsea (none in four).

The Foxes have won all three Premier League away games against the Citizens, keeping three clean sheets in the process.

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal can catch Man City

Manchester City have kept only six clean sheets in their last 18 Premier League home matches.

Merson’s prediction

City have to win, but I do like Leicester. Nigel Pearson’s side always give it a go and are capable of scoring goals, they showed this at Anfield earlier in the season and nearly got something at the Emirates.

I expect City to win this, but it won’t be easy. They turn up too confident, thinking: “They’re not as good as us, so naturally we’ll win.” It doesn’t work like that. They’ve struggled at home because of their attitude against these lesser sides. I think Leicester have got every chance of staying up, they’ve just been bang out of luck. I don’t see many of the bottom teams winning bar Hull this week, so they’re still in it.

PAUL PREDICTS: 3-2