Tevez pulls level as Man City climb to third
The good times show no sign of stopping at Manchester City as having already exceeded expectations by combining a top-four Premier League finish with FA Cup glory, they are now on course to gain automatic entry to the Champions League group stage and could boast the division's top goalscorer.
A comfortable 3-0 victory over the Stoke side that they saw off at Wembley just three days earlier allowed Roberto Mancini's team to pass Arsenal for third place and they can't be caught if they sign off for the season with a win at Bolton, a prospect rated at [1.75] on Betfair.
The fact that it was captain Carlos Tevez that grabbed two of the goals on his first Premier League start since returning from a month-long injury layoff has - as predicted - prompted a final day shootout between the Blues and Manchester United to determine the league's leading goal-getter.
Tevez has moved level with his former Old Trafford team-mate Dimitar Berbatov at the top of the scoring charts as a result of his heroics against Stoke so the fight for first place in the standings will be determined by whoever has the most success in Sunday's fixtures.
Red Devils forward Berbatov is rated the marginal favourite at [1.9], primarily because Blackpool at home is considered an easier game to find the net in than Bolton away, while his ratio is better than the Argentine's having struck 20 times in only 23 starts, whereas Tevez ([1.99]) has made 29.
Stoke meanwhile enter their closing clash against Wigan knowing that three points will effectively guarantee them a top-half finish despite Tuesday night's disappointing defeat. Despite that, they are fairly surprising [2.96] outsiders on the basis that the Latics ([2.42]) need the win more.
Who will end the campaign as top goalscorer? Have your say below...
Published: 18 May 2011
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