West Ham United 2-2 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points as Cityzens drop two huge points | Premier League 2021-22
Manchester City and West Ham United played out a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium on Sunday, May 15.
West Ham United stunned the Cityzens through Jarrod Bowen, who scored two goals in the opening half. The Englishman, after receiving a great pass from Pablo Fornals, rounded past Ederson Moraes to tuck one in. For his second, he found the goal after brilliant control from Michail Antonio to set him up.
Manchester City ramped up the pressure in the second half as they responded immediately. Jack Grealish smashed one past Lukasz Fabianski in the 49th minute of the game. Manchester City equalized in the 69th minute of the game as Vladimir Coufal's attempted clearance off a set-piece ended in the Hammers' own net.
The visitors had a chance to complete their comeback but Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty kick in the dying stages and the match ended in a draw.
We share the points with Manchester City.
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On that note, here's a look at the five biggest talking points from the game:
#5 Manchester City give Liverpool hope
Manchester City's stumble against West Ham United gave Liverpool a ray of hope. The Reds trail the Cityzens by four points but they do have a game in hand. Jurgen Klopp's men will face Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final league games whereas City will face Aston Villa.
Manchester City will clinch the title if they win their final game but things may take a massive turn if they drop points. Pep Guardiola's men also have a superior goal difference of 72 to cushion them in case of tie of points. The Premier League is set for a dramatic end to the season as the two clubs go toe-to-toe for the title.
#4 Riyad Mahrez misses a huge chance to win the game and possibly the league
Riyad Mahrez missed a big chance to win the game for his side. The Algeria international missed the chance to seal three points for City as he fluffed a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. Lukasz Fabianski went the right way and defied the forward as he pulled off a stunning save.
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It was a huge chance to almost seal the fate of the Premier League title, but this miss opens up a huge chance for Liverpool to exploit. Mahrez will have to bring his A-game against Aston Villa to compensate for the massive miss.
#3 Mark Noble played his final home game for West Ham United
Mark Noble played his final home game for West Ham United. The 35-year-old was subbed on for Manuel Lanzini in the 77th minute of the game as he received applause from the fans at the stadium.
He is set to retire at the end of the season following West Ham's final game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Noble will leave the club as a legend after having played more than 500 games (567) for the them in a career spanning 18 years at his boyhood club. The 35-year-old received a memorable sendoff from the Hammers.
#2 Pep Guardiola issues a rallying cry
Pep Guardiola urged his fans to come to the stadium and support the team in the final game against Aston Villa. The Spaniard came out and said, as per Manchester City's official Twitter handle:
"Next week our stadium will be sold out, will give them our lives and they will give theirs, all together. To do it is an incredible privilege, after many years, incredible. To have our chance with our people, to win one game to be Champions. Iām looking forward to it."
"If they lose or win it depends on us, do the most perfect game we possibly can do, all the people, all blue people in Manchester, go to the streets and go to the stadium because they know we're going to give everything to win that game and they will be so proud."
Guardiola believes that their destiny is in their hands and they will give everything they have to win the Premier League for their fans.
#1 Jarrod Bowen shines for West Ham United
Jarrod Bowen scored a first-half brace against Manchester City to stun the visitors. The 25-year-old was mighty impressive against the Cityzens. Bowen's presence of mind to round one past Ederson for his first was mesmerizing. Meanwhile, his second goal also saw him display his striking prowess.
Bowen, apart from the brace, won five duels, made four recoveries, won one tackle and completed one dribble throughout the game. He was too hot for the visitors to handle.