Your Manchester City evening headlines on Sunday, December 24.
Manchester City can celebrate Christmas as history makers after securing a fifth major trophy of the calendar year with Friday’s Club World Cup glory.
Pep Guardiola’s side beat Brazilian outfit Fluminense 4-0 in Jeddah, with Julian Alvarez’s brace bookending an own-goal and Phil Foden’s effort. Celebrations were somewhat marred by a major bust-up between Kyle Walker and Fluminense midfielder Felipe Melo in which the former had to be held back by his teammates.
As City were confirming their status as the world’s best team, their Premier League title rivals were in action on Saturday as Liverpool and Arsenal played out a 0-0 draw at Anfield. The Blues will spend Christmas in fifth after Tottenham beat Everton and they face the Toffees at Goodison Park on December 27.
Alvarez is a World Champion for club and country now, and scored twice in City’s Club World Cup final win over Fluminense on Friday, as well as adding an assist. He has played the majority of City’s games this season, but is in a tricky position where he is only playing in his natural position as striker when Erling Haaland is not available or rested.
A player of his quality is bound to attract interest, and Alvarez has been linked with a transfer away should one of Europe’s biggest clubs need a striker. Real Madrid have been mentioned as a potential destination.
Melo doubles down
Despite Jack Grealish denying it, Fluminense’s Melo has doubled down on claims he defended his team at the end of the Club World Cup final because the City man was disrespectful.
Players from both teams came together just after the final whistle, with City having beaten Fluminense 4-0 to become World Champions. Grealish and Walker were involved, with Melo leading the pushing from the Brazilian side. He later claimed that Grealish had been shouting ‘ole’ when City were keeping the ball at the end of the game, but Grealish took to social media to explicitly deny that claim.
Now Melo has responded to Grealish and insisted that the City man did not show his side respect, so he ‘defended’ his side and his younger teammates.