Jamie Carragher says Stefan Ortega won the title for Manchester City and his late save against Son Heung-min will “haunt” Arsenal fans.
Manchester City are one win away from the title after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Tuesday, leaving them two points ahead of the Gunners with a game remaining.
However, a draw against Tottenham would keep Arsenal top of the table – meaning the title will be in their hands on the final day.
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Is this Manchester City’s title-winning moment?Stefan Ortega made a great save as Heung-Min Son approached the goal
That almost happened when Manuel Akanji was denied possession of the ball in his own half in the 86th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Son Heung-min raced towards goal, with only Ortega – City’s second-choice man who replaced the injured Ederson early in the second half – to beat.
With the goal at his mercy, Son Heung-min’s shot was brilliantly saved by Ortega, and Erling Haaland scored his second of the game from the penalty spot minutes later. A crucial three points secured.
talking about Gary Neville Podcast On working full-time, Carragher said: “[Tottenham] In terms of the chances they created, it probably caused more problems for City than anyone I’ve seen cause them in a long time.
“Tonight alone, Ortega won them the Premier League title. Obviously we’ve put in a lot of hard work throughout the season, but when you look at this game, if he didn’t do that at 1-0 Save and Arsenal will win the league.
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Highlights from Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Manchester City in the Premier League
Carragher compared Ortega’s save to then-Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany’s dramatic long-range goal in a 1-0 win over Leicester City in 2018/19 The final day of the season left his team ahead of Liverpool.
Carragher said: “When I think about being a Liverpool fan a few years ago and watching Vincent Kompany score against Leicester City, that was that moment for an Arsenal fan.”
“Son’s chance is a moment that Arsenal fans will remember in five, ten years’ time. Even if they win the title in the next five years, they have a chance to do it because they are a great team with great players. of head coaches — an opportunity that still haunts them.
Guardiola: I thought ‘Oh no, not again!
When Akanji lost the ball, Guardiola fell to the floor and Son Heung-min, who has scored eight goals in his career against City, sprinted towards the goal.
However, Ortega saved his side and Guardiola was delighted with his goalkeeper, who joined City on a free transfer from German side Bielefeld two years ago.
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Jamie Redknapp, Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards react to Manchester City’s win over Tottenham and how it puts Guardiola’s side within striking distance of a fourth consecutive Premier League title
“Ortega saved the game, otherwise Arsenal would have been champions,” Guardiola admitted. “That’s the reality of modern football. Margins are very, very tight.”
When asked about Son Heung-min collapsing when he appeared to be about to score, Guardiola joked: “I have a back problem, that position is better!
“I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ Do you know how many times Son has punished us in the last seven or eight years with Harry Kane?
“I said, ‘No, not anymore’. But then Stefan made an unbelievable save because he has this talent. One-on-one, he’s the best I’ve ever seen in my life. One of the best goalkeepers.
“That’s the German culture. Stand up, don’t fall down. That’s really, really good.
“But it’s not just today – since he joined, he’s played in the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup. Even this season, Ederson has suffered four injuries.
“But Stefan is very reliable. He’s an unbelievable goalkeeper. The club and our goalkeeping coach made an incredible decision to bring him here.”
Neville: Ortega is probably the best No.2 player
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Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher discuss what Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League means for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta
Neville added that Ortega could be the best second-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League, saying: “This is a moment where time stands still. The right man [Son] Do you have.
“When competing for titles you always need your goalkeeper to perform well.
“When he came on in the second half, I almost said, ‘Is he the best No. 2 player in the league?’ I thought that was probably disrespectful. [Aaron] Ramsdale.
“But he’s a great No. 2. He came on in challenging circumstances. The moment Son experienced was unbelievable.”
City now only need to beat West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to secure a record fourth consecutive title, and Neville said: “Well done to City – you need everyone to contribute over the course of a season.
“It was an ominous sign for about a few months. We were talking about Oscar Bobb’s goal at Newcastle. That was a long time ago.” [January] But I was watching it at home and thinking, “Here we go again.”
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