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A growing outbreak of Covid-19 in Manchester City caused the postponement of their Premier League match against Everton and forced the team to close their training ground.
Pep Guardiola’s team had announced on Friday that forward Gabriel Jesus and defender Kyle Walker had tested positive for Covid-19 along with two members of staff. City were able to play Newcastle on Saturday.
But hours before kickoff at Goodison Park on Monday (Tuesday New Zealand time), the City announced that the latest round of testing for Covid-19 had produced “a series” of new positives.
Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Gabriel Jesus is among a group of Manchester City players who contracted Covid-19.
The other two games on Monday (Tuesday New Zealand time), Crystal Palace against Leicester and Chelsea against Aston Villa, went ahead and both ended 1-1.
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“With the security of the bubble compromised, there was a risk that the virus would spread further between equipment, personnel and potentially beyond,” City said in a statement. “Based on strong medical advice, the Premier League, in consultation with both clubs, has decided to postpone the match.”
It comes amid concerns in England about the spread of a variant of Covid-19.
Clive Brunskill / AP
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola saw his team’s game at Everton postponed due to a cluster of Covid-19 cases at his club.
“The first team training ground at City Football Academy will be closed for an indefinite period, and the team and associated bubble will undergo tests before any decision is made to resume training,” City said.
The Premier League said more tests would take place at City on Tuesday (Wednesday New Zealand time). Everton want to know more about how the league got into the postponement call.
“While Everton will always have public safety above all else, we will request full disclosure of all information that Manchester City provided to the Premier League so that the club can be clear about why this decision was made,” the club said. of Merseyside.
It was the second Premier League match this season to be canceled due to Covid-19 cases after Newcastle’s match against Aston Villa earlier in the month.
Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Yerry Mina and his Everton teammates were denied the opportunity to play Manchester City due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the Manchester club.
“The Premier League continues to have full confidence in its protocols and rules, and in the way that all clubs are implementing them,” the league said.
Games in England’s lower leagues have also been postponed this week.
Leicester, meanwhile, settled for a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace after Harvey Barnes’ late draw.
Still, the point was good enough to move Leicester into second place on goal difference over Everton. Leicester is three points behind Liverpool, first classified.
Marc Atkins / AP
Harvey Barnes’ late goal earned Leicester a point at Crystal Palace.
Barnes fired a left-foot shot into the bottom right corner in the 83rd minute, beating Vicente Guaita, who earlier raised Palace’s hopes when he saved Kelechi Iheanacho’s penalty in the first half.
Palace opened the scoring in the 58th minute when an Andros Townsend cross on the Leicester defense found Wilfried Zaha, who volleyed it over Kasper Schmeichel. It was his eighth goal of the Premier League season, already doubling his tally from 2019-20.
“I thought after conceding the goal, part of our game, the speed of our game, it was really good,” Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said. “We ended up frustrated that we didn’t win the game.”
Playing their second game in three days, both teams rested regularly with Rodgers making seven changes from the starting lineup that drew 2-2 against Manchester United on Saturday.
Facundo Arrizabalaga / AP
Wilfried Zaha opened the scoring for Crystal Palace.
Jamie Vardy has made six of seven penalty attempts for Leicester this season, but was on the bench when James Tomkins fouled Luke Thomas in the box in the 17th minute. Iheanacho stuttered and shot with his left foot but Guaita dived and saved him with his right hand.
“You can’t play Jamie or some of these guys every night,” Rodgers said.
Vardy came in as a substitute in the second half.
The draw extended Palace’s winless streak to five games, but it was a welcome point after back-to-back beatings: 3-0 against Aston Villa on Saturday and 7-0 against Liverpool the week before.
“Liverpool knocked us down and Aston Villa, who are also a very good team, let’s not forget, they knocked us down a bit too,” Palace manager Roy Hodgson said.
“Facing Leicester today was going to be a daunting task,” he continued, “but I think we handled it very well. Today’s point and the way we played in the second half will help us move forward.
Palace moved up one spot to 13th and will host bottom-ranked Sheffield United on Saturday. Leicester is in Newcastle on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard remains under pressure after a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa left his side with just one win in their last five Premier League matches.
Catherine Ivill / AP
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has seen his team struggle over Christmas.
A good header from veteran French striker Olivier Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 34th minute at Stamford Bridge, but Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi leveled early in the second half.
Villa came close to a second goal when midfielder John McGinn hit the crossbar in the 69th minute, but Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell nearly scored a spectacular goal in injury time when his superb volley from the left passed through the right post.
The tie holds Villa fifth, one place ahead of Chelsea on goal difference and one point behind Manchester United, fourth, before Friday’s trip to Old Trafford.
Lampard selected Giroud ahead of Tammy Abraham as he continued to rotate his center forward, having selected Abraham in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal.
Giroud started and finished a play for his ninth goal in 15 total games this season.
Catherine Ivill / AP
Aston Villa stayed above Chelsea in the table after Anwar El Ghazi’s tying goal.
He received a pass from his back to the goal, then fed Christian Pulisic with a deft punch and Pulisic instantly passed the ball down the left flank towards Chilwell. His fast cross was slightly low, but Giroud adjusted his body to turn and receive the ball with a header in the lower left corner.
Poor defense gave Villa a soft draw as El Ghazi was left alone at the back post to volley a Matthew Cash cross from the right through the legs of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Moments before McGinn’s superb shot, Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta found the net from close range, but his effort was ruled out as Pulisic was offside when shooting seconds earlier.
Lampard hired German forward Timo Werner to give Giroud extra rhythm to Chelsea’s attack in the later stages.
But it was Villa who threatened the most, and when forward Ollie Watkins headed the ball for backup Jacob Ramsey in the 82nd, his curly shot from outside the area went wide.
