Queens Park Rangers’ short stint in the top flight has come to an end, after a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City. Liverpool needed a win to qualify for the Champions League but Chelsea held on to keep the match on level terms.
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QPR were simply wretched in a match deciding their fate in the Premier League as half-a-dozen were hit past Robert Green in an absolutely dismal performance at the Etihad Stadium. The Londoners needed a win to keep hopes alive of another stay in the top-tier of English football but Chris Ramsey’s men never showed up, in what was an amateurish performance as they went down without even putting in a fight against their superior rivals. Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick to take his goal tally to 31 this season, while Aleksandar Kolarov, David Silva and James Milner also chipped in. Sergio Aguero got his first in the 4th minute when he scampered past several bumbling bodies before chipping it over Green to make it 1-0. Kolarov got the second when he sent his left-footed free-kick into the bottom corner through the QPR wall.
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In the second-half, Suk-Young Yun made an deplorable schoolboy error when the South Korean let the ball slip under his leg and given the fact that he was the last man, Aguero who was clear on goal, slotted the ball past Green. Silva was toppled in the box by Matthew Phillips and Sergio Aguero completed his hat-trick as he sent the ‘keeper the wrong way. In the 70th minute, a corner taken by Kolarov was flicked by Bony to Aguero and the Argentine slipped the ball across the 6-yard box to Milner, who tapped it home into an unguarded net. David Silva got his goal when he gathered Bony’s brilliant backheel and pranced around Green before slotting it home to seal QPR’s fate.
This performance perhaps epitomized the Hoops’ miserable season and in the post-match press conference, Chris Ramsey conceded that his side’s defeat to City was the worst performance of his tenure. Burnley were relegated the previous day but Sean Dyche’s men impressed pundits as they put in dogged displays despite being one of the weaker sides of the Premier League. QPR, on the other hand, paid astronomical wages to undeserving players and now face a £58 million fine for breaking Football League financial fair play rules.
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Jose Mourinho made several changes to the side that clinched the league a week back while Brendan Rodgers was desperate for a win to keep his side’s slim Champions League hopes alive. And much to annoyance their annoyance, the Reds were forced to give their title-winning hosts the customary Guard of Honour. Liverpool got off to the worst possible start when John Terry headed in the opener, just 5 minutes into play. Chelsea dominated proceedings and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a youth-player who was handed his debut by Mourinho, impressed fans and pundits alike with a disciplined display. Steven Gerrard, whose days at Merseyside are numbered, got the equalizer when he lost his marker and planted his header into the back of the net.
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The Chelsea faithful mocked Gerrard for the entirety of his 80 minutes show but the legendary Englishman was showered with a standing ovation as he was substituted off and Jose Mourinho, long-time admirer of Gerrard applauded the gesture by the Chelsea fans. Liverpool were the better side in the second-half but lacked the finishing touch in the final third as the draw ended Liverpool’s prospects for 4th place. After the match, Gerrard made the snarkiest retort possible when he said, “Nice of Chelsea fans to turn up for once today.”
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Andre Ayew and Roman Alessandrini scored two goals in the last 11 minutes against Monaco, to keep Marseille’s hopes of a Champions League spot alive. Lyon suffered a defeat against Caen, which means that PSG are just one win away from securing their 3rd consecutive Ligue 1 title.
It was Mother’s Day yesterday and the Ajax players probably made the sweetest gesture possible when they came on to the pitch holding their mothers’ hands in front of 40,000 roaring fans. And the joyous mums brought luck to their boys as Ajax thumped PSV Eindhoven 3-0.
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Tags: Ajax Chelsea Manchester City
