Pellegrini fumes as City let two-goal lead slip

The defending champions drew 2-2 as leaders Chelsea also held

MANCHESTER: Manuel Pellegrini accused his Manchester City players of complacency after they allowed a two-goal lead to slip in a costly 2-2 draw against Burnley.

The defending champions wasted the opportunity to pull to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who were held by Southampton earlier on Sunday, after first half goals from David Silva and Fernandinho had put City well in control at Eastlands.

An early second half effort from Burnley's George Boyd was followed by a dramatic 82nd minute equaliser from Ashley Barnes which ended City's bid for a club record 10th consecutive victory.

"The way we're playing, we need to run a lot of metres," said Pellegrini. "Maybe leading 2-0 we thought that the game was over but until the last whistle the game has never finished. We couldn't continue with the same pace.

Pellegrini, however, is now looking towards the remaining half of the league. “We have to play the complete second round [of fixtures],” he added. “We have finished the first round with 43 points, which is a good amount of points.”

Opposite number Sean Dyche not only named the same starting line-up that lost to Liverpool on Boxing Day but also resisted the temptation to make a substitution during the 90 minutes.

“When I was playing, we would put out the same team if we were playing well” said Dyche. “I don't over-think it. If the team is ready to play, we play and today the players were ready to deliver.”

 

Mourinho looks towards siege mentality

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed that there is a ‘campaign’ to get his players wrongly punished for diving following his side's 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton.

After Eden Hazard had cancelled out Sadio Mane's opener for Southampton, referee Anthony Taylor booked Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas after he went down under a challenge by Matthew Targett in the second half.

Television replays indicated that the official may have made a mistake, as Targett appeared to make contact with Fabregas after slipping, but Mourinho suggested that there was more to it than that.

Diving had also been the topic of post-match conversation after a 2-0 home win against Hull City earlier this month, when England defender Gary Cahill’s theatrics won him a penalty.

“I think it [the non-awarding of the penalty] is the result of something that looks like a campaign,” he said. “In the first match, Diego got a yellow card when it should have been a red card [for the defender] and a penalty at Burnley. The double punishment is unbelievable. You have a penalty and probably you win the game. You don't get the penalty and you get a yellow card.”

Meanwhile Ronald Koeman, the Southampton manager, was delighted with the result, having seen his players defend for most of a second half when home midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin sent off late on for his second bookable offences.

 

Wenger eyes top four berth

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal are gathering momentum at the right time after they enhanced their prospects of qualifying for the Champions League with a hard-fought 2-1 win at West Ham; the only side in the top eight to register a win.

"The Champions League is vital for us," Wenger said. "We have done it 17 years so I'm entitled at least to believe we can do it. It's still all to do. When you look at the league, everyone fights very hard for it. Southampton, Tottenham, Man United, so many teams who can fight for these positions.”

 

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.