Hands Man City Premier League shield on the golden platter

By Ed Emeanua

Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi saved Nottingham Forest from relegation jaws making Manchester City a three consecutive premier League champion in the process.

Thanks to Awoniyi, the Reds secured their Premier League status next term, just as Arsenal surrendered their ambition to regain the shield to Manchester City, as Forest sucker-punched the Gunners 1-0 at the City Ground on Saturday.

Awoniyi’s solitary first half goal against an insipid Arsenal side at City Ground was all that it took to turnaround a topsy-turvy season for Forest’s record signing this season.

Only Manchester United, City’s arch-rival have won the Premier League on three consecutive seasons. The Red Devils have actually performed the feat twice in their history.

City also could win the FA Cup final when they take on struggling Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and are rest assured of no reason to keep on looking over their shoulders on their Premier League account, as Arsenal will now only settle for second no matter what happens in their game.

The defeat steamrolls Arsenal on 81 points, four points adrift of the already crowned-three-time reigning Premier League kings, who also have two outstanding games to be played, with just a solitary match remaining for the rival.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have 37 unassailable points from the four bottom-of-the-table teams, and are mathematically safe from relegation.

Yet, the season of the Nigeria international who made this happen was largely unsung before now.  since his arrival at City Ground, Awoniyi was blighted by either poor form, the outcome of  an injury plagued football term.

But things began to happen for the former Liverpool academy starlet during the tail end of the season when relegation survival became all that mattered in the struggling Reds Camp.

His couple of braces here and there soon after began to give Steven Cooper’s side hope of a possible relegation lifeline when all seemed but lost for Forest. But the African savior saved the best for almost the last, securing his side the relegation safety route with a game left to play.

Once again another limp Arsenal outcome on the weekend– a shock 1-0 capitulation to Nottingham Forest and Awoniyi’s 19th minute brilliance– has established Man City as champions of England for the third season in a sequence, and the fifth time in the last six terms.

Sees winning remaining games as Everton’s safest bailout from relegation jail

By Ed Emeanua

Alex Iwobi has mapped out what he considers as the most plausible escape route from being relegated to Championship football at the end of the season for his troubled Everton team.

The Everton midfielder insists the players target of two wins from their last two games should help safeguard their Premier League pedigree.

“We can’t be too down but there is a saying in football that you can’t be too high, like against Brighton, and then too low about City. We just need to kick on and go again,” Iwobi said.

“The mindset is to have the belief that we can stay up and get maximum points – get six points.

“We have to prepare, analyze and see Wolves’ weaknesses and how we capitalize against them.”

The Toffees received a crucial psychological-boost from their unexpected victory at Brighton two weeks ago, but lost six days later to defending Premier League champions Manchester City at Goodison Park. But, the heavy defeat to the current league leaders was very expected, and has not in anyway altered the calculations for Sean Dyche’s team to survive their current relegation struggles.

A win from their last two matches with other results elsewhere aligning with Everton’s ambitions would almost likely stretch their top-flight continuum into a 70th term but winning away to Wolves and at Goodison Park against Bournemouth would certainly seal premiership status for the Toffees.

A year today, Everton avoided possible relegation in their penultimate game, nailing shut the relegation coffin in the last home encounter against visiting Crystal Palace, but with a much more compact Premier League table bottom raucous playing out this term, it is very possible that the determination of one or both remaining relegation allotment will tarry till the last day and likely the last kick of the season.

Thus, like Iwobi calculates, a total win for Everton will absolutely be vital to avoiding relegation, at least this season.

Despite the defeat by City, some Everton’s fans still remained at the fast-depleting Goodison Park arena eager to express encouragement to the players.

Iwobi sees this gesture as critical for the final day of the season against a Bournemouth side that has been assured of Premier League football next season. The Everton midfielder believes that the fans’ attitude was a vital tonic for a team going to Molineux before that, particularly in a season that has been testy between supporters and the organization.

“To have the fans having our back after a disappointing result shows how much the fans care and want us to do well,” Iwobi continued.

“We use that as motivation to go into the next game. If they can fight for us, it is only right that we can fight for them as well.”

Right-back Nathan Patterson is still edging towards rediscovering his groove in the squad having battled with conditioning problems and it has been rather tasking for the defender to break into a lack-lustered team, beginning the last two games because of Seamus Coleman’s injury status.

However, because of the opportunity he’s been accorded, his focus is on the battle for survival as opposed to being distracted by his personal travails.

“You always have to be ready any time you are called upon and I feel I’ve done that in the last couple of games,” he said.

“We are making sure we are focused on the things we do and as long as we do our job and do our best I’m sure we will be fine.

“All season we’ve concentrated on ourselves, trying to not look at the table and anyone around us.

“We just have to make sure we are focused and everyone is on the right page.”

Everton await news of the gravity of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s groin injury, which forced the forward to be substituted as a safeguard at half-time with Everton 2-0 short against City.

Sean Dyche listened to the voice of caution following the injury-ravaged striker’s complaint of a worry in the first half and removed him from the frontline in the hope to use him to a greater advantage in the two games ahead.

While Calvert-Lewin has only managed to score once in five outings after two-and-half months on the injury layaway due to a hamstring, his coming back to the side has led to improved output with the striker as the focal point.