With a first-half hat-trick to beat Newcastle United 4-0 and fire Pep Guardiola’s men back into the Premier League´s top four on Saturday, Omar Marmoush scored his first Manchester City goals. As City rebuilt from their late Champions League collapse to lose to Real Madrid 3-2 at home in midweek, the Egyptian was in brilliant form.
Visiting Madrid on Wednesday, the English champions have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the final 16 of Europe’s elite championship for the 12th running.
However, Marmoush’s outburst lends some reason for hope since Newcastle was astounded inside the first 33 minutes. The game had been hyped as a confrontation between Golden Boot competitors Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak, two of the best strikers in the Premier League.
But once Marmoush declared his arrival to the English game, they were both eclipsed. Before making an estimated £59 million ($72.6 million) transfer to Manchester in January, the 26-year-old scored 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt this season. City was eager to add more goalscoring threats to assist Haaland, and early indicators show that the Norwegian and Marmoush can dovetail rather well.
During the Madrid double header
During the Madrid double header with Marmoush one of those changes to refresh his team, Guardiola made six others. Ederson made atonement with his third assist of the season, but he was at blame for City’s late collapse from 2-1 to 3-2 down against the European champions on Tuesday. Marmoush’s straightforward chore was to lob the stranded Martin Dubravka while Kieran Trippier was caught beneath the Brazilian goalkeeper’s explosive kick-upfield. Against the Magpies, City’s run of scoring in their last 33 Premier League games persisted.
Ilkay Gundogan fed Marmoush inside the area five minutes later; he cut inside before his deflected effort reached the bottom corner. It was 2-0. Another great advantage for Guardiola was Savinho’s speed and cleverness down the right; he produced the third by slipping past Lewis Hall and squaring for Marmoush to fire home from close range.
City’s weakness at defending leads this season was never really tested as the visitors suffered yet another devastating loss to their aspirations of a Champions League return next season.
Eddie Howe’s team have dropped three of their past four Premier League games to slide to eighth either side of the League Cup final. Conversely, Manchester City returned to pole position for Champions League qualifying despite their sharp drop in standards this season; virtually definitely, their record of four straight league titles will come to an end.
James McAtee came off the bench to add the fourth six six minutes from time as the midfielder turned in Haaland´s flick from a Gundogan corner. But City had a concerning scenario when Haaland had to be substituted in the last stages following knee injury treatment.
