And in the wake of his late brace, which brought up the 250th and 251st goals of his remarkable City career, our Argentine all-time record goal-scorer has been hailed as the Premier League’s greatest striker by pundit and former pro Robbie Savage
There’s also a fascinating Champions League City pointer from an Italian legend, a catch-up with one of our young stars out on loan and some heartfelt words from Nick Cushing ahead of his imminent departure as City women’s manager.
Opinion
mirror.co.uk – Savage: Aguero is PL’s best-ever striker
Robbie Savage: “Sergio Aguero is the greatest striker of the Premier League era.
“For me, he pips Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer – the two best strikers I played against – to the crown, and Manchester City fans should enjoy him while they can because Aguero won’t be around forever.
READ: Aguero scores 250th City goal
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“I’ve been doing my homework on some of the most prolific, and lethal, forwards we’ve seen in the last quarter of a century here, and the stats speak for themselves.
“He cost £31m, which was a lot of money nine years ago, but his goals – 127 with the right foot, 33 with his left, 18 headers and one off his chest – have cost just £126,000 each, which is like paying peanuts for bars of gold bullion.
“Aguero has the best record against top six sides: In other words, he’s the man for the big occasion and he turns up when the pressure is most intense. He has scored 15 goals against Chelsea, 12 v Tottenham, 11 v Arsenal and nine in Manchester derbies.
“He has also scored the first goal in 54 games for City, where Henry broke the deadlock 50 times for Arsenal.
“So Aguero gets my vote as the greatest. If a half-chance falls in the box in stoppage time, and your team needs to find a winning goal, he is the man you would back more than anyone to bury it.”
News
telegraph.co.uk – Aguero at double but City settle for point
Ian Whittell: “With City trailing against Palace to a stunning opening goal by Cenk Tosun, Aguero equalised on 82 minutes, throwing himself instinctively at a magnificent, hanging cross from Gabriel Jesus, arriving ahead of his marker and volleying into the Palace goal.
“It was the 250th City career goal, in all competitions, for the Argentinian and, as has so often been the case during his prolific stay in English football, goal number 251 was not far behind.
“This time it was a simple, flowing City move that picked holes in an exhausted Palace rearguard; Fernandinho slipping the ball down the flank, Benjamin Mendy crossing accurately into the area and Aguero headed past Vicente Guaita’s dive.
“It was Aguero’s 20th goal of the season, and his seventh in the last four days, a period that covers less than three weeks of City’s season and which underscores the consistency and productivity that have made the 31-year-old such a phenomenon in the modern game.”
Express.co.uk – Legend tips City for Champions League glory
Italian icon Alessandro Del Piero believes that City rather then Liverpool are best equipped to win the Champions League this season.
City manager Pep Guardiola is now set to face a familiar opponent in Real Madrid ahead of the knockout stage.
The Anfield outfit have bested Guardiola’s side so far this season in the Premier League but Del Piero doesn’t expect them to continue their dominance in Europe.
That is because the Juventus legend believes the Merseysiders are desperate to finally win their first league title since 1990 and will want to make sure the hoodoo ends this year.
READ: Mendy: We deserved more against Palace
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Del Piero told ESPN: “I still believe that Manchester City have a real chance.
“So many years they came close - VAR one year, VAR the next year and it didn’t happen. I think we’ll have a great idea after the next round.”
Loan watch
theguardian.com – Adarabioyo: My dream is to go on and captain City
Jamie Jackson: “Tosin Adarabioyo may be on loan again from Manchester City but the 22-year-old remains focused on the boyhood dream.
“In five years’ time I’d like to be captain of Man City and have won the Premier League and the Champions League. Definitely it can happen,” he says.
“Here high ambition is married to a recognition of the hard yards required to reach the top. Sitting in plush seats at The Mere hotel in Cheshire, Adarabioyo can point to the decision to sign for a season at Blackburn Rovers after spending the previous campaign on loan at West Bromwich Albion.
“I just felt like I needed to go out there and get some more games and prove what I can do,” the centre-back says. “My aim has always been to get back to City and be a main player in that team. I felt I needed to go out again because last season I was predominantly playing right-back. I didn’t actually get to show what I can do.”
From the managers
telegraph.co.ok – Cushing: My debt of gratitude to senior City players
Ahead of City’s crucial FA Women’s Super League encounter away at Birmingham, the Telegraph carries an in-depth interview with the departing manager who talks of his enormous debt of gratitude to the Club’s senior players.
Cushing, who after six successful years in charge will take up anew post as assistant manager at New York City FC next month, revealed how the likes of skipper Steph Houghton, Karen Bardsley and Jill Scott had proved invaluable.
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Cushing reflected: “I do look back and think 29 was incredibly young to become a head coach of such a big club. I probably thought the job would be a lot simpler than it was - not easier, but simpler.”
“City lost their first game, against champions Liverpool, to begin a four-game losing streak. “I was learning as I was going. When I look back, the senior players - Karen Bardsley, Jill Scott, Steph Houghton - helped me incredibly.
“Not directly, but just taking on more responsibility and bigger roles. Not judging me on my ability as a young head coach, not going into places mentally where they felt they were sold things that weren’t happening. [They] just never made me feel… I did lack confidence in those first four games.
