(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Man City - Sheffield United

2023 will be remembered as the greatest year in the history of Manchester City Football Club. A first Champions League to complete a first treble that was followed by a first UEFA Super Cup and finally their first FIFA Club World Cup. Today they bring the curtain down on a quite stunning 12 months looking to end it as they began with a victory. City can record today their 26th win at the Etihad Stadium of 2023 and if they were to do so they'd move two points off Liverpool. They've won the last six meetings with Sheffield United in a row. Alvarez hits the first shot of the game. It was a left foot volley that went about a metre wide at the far post. Lovely little layoff from Foden and Alvarez hits it first time on the volley. It was actually a very well controlled volley but just wide. Corners with City on the halfway line with It's not going to be plain sailing today but maybe it'll be just like I think it was the Bournemouth game where it took about 25 minutes for the opener and then the dominoes all toppled over and now forward comes Rodri. Rodri to the edge of the area. Rodri hits the shot in the corner. That is a sensational goal by Rodri. He skipped over a couple of challenges, got to the edge of the area and you know what he's like in those positions. He doesn't smash it into the net, he passes it into the net and he has just scored the opening goal just seconds after I said that once you do topple the dominoes they all fall down and City are one up. Yeah it's quite brilliant from Rodri and it's the first moment that's special. He just clips the ball away. They back off. One of them should have come. Yeah and then he just cuts it into the corner. It's quite brilliant and if you were going to pick a player that could change it at the moment, why not Rodri? It is already his fifth goal of the season, his fourth in the Premier League. He only got four goals in total last season and we've not quite reached the halfway stage of the campaign. City are coming forward now and they've got Walker in the right wing position. He has to sort of hold play up because no one else had joined in. Now on it goes to Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva's cross. Alvarez's cushioned header just beyond the far post. Bodringham had it covered I think and it was a good effort. Really lovely play and Walker and Bernardo Silva combining and the header over the top from Alvarez. Balls with Akenji. Akenji in towards Foden. Foden loves to on the half turn. Darts in. On it goes to Bernardo Silva. War right across the face of the goal and out for a goal kick and it's a corner. No it's a corner not a goal kick. Brilliant from Foden. Look at the appreciation and weight of passing. The angle's just got too much of it. It's been on his right foot. He's unable to sort of maybe bend it into the far corner. Foden brilliant and actually a good save although I think it might just have been outside the post. Now City have won the ball back high up the pitch. Bernardo Silva that's a foul by Souza. Oh no the referee says play on. I can't believe that. Bernardo Silva that's a foul all day long. City do not want this game to just peter away because Sheffield United would just want one goal to equalise. Walker round the back. Oh he did really well. It was sliding out of play. Walker got there brilliantly with a wonderful piece of acceleration. Kept it on but Fondringham did really well to keep it in his possession. There's not been the domino effect that we were wondering from the opening strike from Rodri in the 14th minute. Robinson nice skill to get away from Rodri and a lovely ball out wide to the right wing position to Bogle and the ball is good and Osula had the chance and they've won a corner. It could have been very much more. A ball into the box. Osula got there first. Akanji blocked the shot was probably going towards the goal and it's a Sheffield United corner. Norwood with the delivery. Headers a good one from Osula and Edison saves it. Well in the space of about 45 seconds Osula has had two attempts on the City goal. One was saved by Edison at full stretch and that's the danger. Ball's on the halfway line with Rodri. Rodri steps across the centre circle. Clips in a ball. It's a lovely one. Foden's onto it. Foden can he find the finish? Just put off by Fondringham. Did really well Fondringham. Just dispossessed him as he was about to clip it beyond him. Ball is in the possession of Kovacic. On it goes to Rodri. Cleared though by Ben Slimani and in the end the ball will get cleared. No it won't. Vogel's gone into a bit of a coldy sack. He loses it. Oscar Bob now into the penalty area. On it goes to Foden. Back to Oscar Bob. Ball towards Alvarez and he puts it over the bar. A couple of chances for City. One for Foden but Fondringham did well. One for Alvarez. Off balance put it wide. Yeah just a little bit more intensity isn't it? That's a wonderful ball. It's a great first touch. Keeper does brilliant. I think you'll be really disappointed Alvarez. You know it's laces in it. Smash it into the ground. On to Walker. Walker into the final third. Goes out wide to Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva into Foden. Foden plays it on to Guardiola. Guardiola on the edge of the area. Teases a ball in which is cleared. Guardiola himself retrieves possession. Sheffield United's 10 man barrier is still in the way. Oscar Bob trying to get a little gap. He's got one on the left hand side. Gets towards the edge of the area but plays it in. Good ball. Foden now. Great pass. City will score. That is absolutely delightful. Oscar Bob played a huge part in it. Into the gap for Foden. Slid it across the face of the goal and Alvarez prodded it in. Enormous credit to Oscar Bob and Phil Foden. And the intensity over the last 5-10 minutes though. I mean I'm looking at the Sheffield United players. Is that as much about them not being able to keep their focus for that total period of time? Because they have been fantastic but somebody switched off. Oscar Bob the slip ball into Foden. Foden arriving in the space rather than being stood in there. Great little ball. Foden out wide. He just takes his time and then look at the movement from Foden. Yeah they switched off. They've switched off and you can't do that against City and it's it's a relentless ask Ali to keep doing it for minute after minute for 60, 70, 80 minutes and that's the difference at the top top level. Kevin De Bruyne has just been given license to go and warm up on the sideline and the crowd have risen as if City have just won the Champions League for the second time this calendar year. It doesn't matter what you've won in the game. We all want to be loved and I just think you'll appreciate that so much. It'll mean a lot to him. Ball with Rodri. Rodri in the middle third. Placed it out wide to Foden. Foden darting forward. Lovely run from Foden. Keeps on going all the way through. On it goes to Bob. Bob's shot's deflected away. The ball broke for Oscar Bob and his shot was smothered. Foden's been the difference in this second half. He's been the difference for the last few weeks. He won the Man of the Match award at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Oh as Fodringham has just hit the ball straight at Alvarez and fortunately for the goalkeeper it's gone over the bar. Well, Chief United were just playing it around their own edge of the area. There was no particular pressure on them. No real drama. Next thing you knew Alvarez was on top of him. It bounced off the foot of Alvarez and went an inch over the bar. Could have been three. City have got the ball wide on the right but they're not doing anything penetrative with it. Ball is with Lewis now. Lewis on to Rodri. You do feel a third goal is there for the taking if City want to just put the foot on the gas. The ball is wide out on the right of Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva jinks in. On it goes to Foden on the edge of the area. Foden unleashes the shot, takes a deflection, goes wide for a corner and Pep Guardiola loves it again. Exactly, but it's a shot. It's a positive, you know. Let's try and score a goal rather than just trying to keep the ball. You know, Phil Foden's been the difference. I think, you know, he's come off the wide area and he's arriving into spaces rather than be stood in them and he's very, very hard to stop when he's there, when he's actually moving with the ball and playing the way he is. Well, 2023 will go down as the greatest in Manchester City history. The Blues have registered the big five trophies. A Premier League, an FA Cup, a Champions League, which allowed them then to go on and win the UEFA Super Cup and, of course, most of all, the last thing, the World Club Championship. 2023 has been quite exceptional. What can we possibly expect in 2024? The final score here, City 2, Sheffield United 0.