Pellegrini secures Man City UCL slot
Manchester City scraped into next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Swansea City to secure fourth place in the Premier League.
The expected final-day battle between City and Manchester United did not materialise as their rivals’ match against AFC Bournemouth was abandoned after a suspicious package was discovered at Old Trafford.
Barring an improbable 19-goal victory when that match is rescheduled, United are now unable to finish above their neighbours due to a vastly inferior goal difference.
Kelechi Iheanacho gave Manuel Pellegrini’s team an early lead, but, in the City manager’s final match before making way for Pep Guardiola, he endured a familiar tale of wasted chances within a patchy performance – the kind of display that has turned a campaign that promised so much into a gruelling slog for the one-time title favourites.
Andre Ayew’s 12th Premier League goal this term came via a deflected free-kick in first-half stoppage time and Swansea end the season in 12th, looking forward to an extended spell under Francesco Guidolin after their boss penned a two-year contract extension this week.
Ki Sung-yueng’s absence due to military service in his native South Korea contributed to Swansea making four changes to the XI that beat West Ham 4-1 last weekend, while Manchester City were unchanged.
