THE LAST BAT1 DAY OF EPL

One hand on the trophy! Toure double leaves City on brink of first title in 44 years

Roberto Mancini finally conceded the title is within touching distance for Manchester City on Sunday but vowed to guard against complacency sabotaging their greatest achievement in 44 years.

After beating Newcastle 2-0 at the Sports Direct Arena, two-goal marksman Yaya Toure admitted City have one hand on the trophy, while Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said the grip extended to both hands, despite his side beating Swansea.

Both Manchester clubs have 86 points going into the final round of league games but City have a goal difference advantage of eight. 

Sky Blue heaven: Yaya Toure celebrates his second goal

 

Asked if City have a hand on the trophy, a jubilant Toure said: ‘I think so. It is not finished and we have to be careful, but it is just one step to go. 

'The manager said I had to deliver as it was an important game. I always thought I came to this club to make a story.’

Mancini, however, refused to endorse the view that Toure’s late double had effectively ensured City will be champions for the first time since winning 4-3 on Tyneside in 1968.

Man on the mike: Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson addresses supporters after the game

‘Maybe we are favourites now, because it is down to us,’ said the City manager. ‘If we beat QPR, we are champions, but that is going to be a difficult game because they are fighting to stay up. It is good that it depends on us.

‘Newcastle have had a fantastic season and we had to play really well throughout the whole team to win. Without this victory, beating United last Monday would have meant nothing.

‘But all that matters now is making sure we prepare properly for QPR.’

Mancini also warned his players they must not start thinking they have already won the title because that could come back to bite them.

Crucial strike: Toure tucks home the opener

‘I am excited that we are top, but it is not enough,’ said the Italian. ‘There is still another week to go. If we play like we did today, there is a good chance we will be champions. 

'But we have to do that. If we start believing the title is ours, we will be making a mistake.  I will not allow that. Any talk of the title must wait until 5pm next Sunday.’

A defiant Sir Alex Ferguson urged Manchester United supporters not to give up on their hopes of the Reds winning the title.

He addressed the supporters at Old Trafford after the win over Swansea, and told them: 'Hopefully next week will be the biggest celebration of our lives.'

We're almost there: Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini celebrates

This is despite saying in a television interview before the game that City have 'two hands' on the trophy.

Speaking after the match, he joked: 'It's an important day for QPR. I just wish Sparky was playing. City are obviously red-hot favourites.

'We have to go there (to Sunderland) with the right spirit to win the match. You never know. Our responsibility is to win the game.'

Fine strike: Ashley Young scores Manchester United's second goal

Victory over Newcastle, whose own hopes of Champions League qualification were dealt a blow despite rivals Arsenal and Tottenham only drawing this weekend, has pitched Mancini into battle with Mark Hughes, his immediate predecessor at the Etihad Stadium, with the league title at stake.

City enjoyed the better of the possession throughout a an enthralling contest, but a combination of good goalkeeping by Tim Krul and stubborn defence from the men ahead of him managed to keep them at bay.

But it was Mancini's decision to replace Samir Nasri with holding midfielder Nigel de Jong with 28 minutes remaining which ultimately swung the game.

City slickers: Toure is mobbed by his team-mates after his second goal at St James' Park

The Dutchman's arrival allowed Toure to push further up the field, and he needed just eight minutes to make his presence tell when he thumped a swerving low effort past Krul and into the bottom corner.

With Newcastle having to throw caution to the wind in a bid to find an equaliser, they became increasingly porous at the back and both Sergio Aguero and Toure passed up glorious opportunities to kill the game off.

However, with just a minute remaining, Toure turned Gael Clichy's pass past Krul from close range to seal a precious win.

Mancini said: 'Yaya is an important player for us because he has experience. He won with Barca, he won trophies and he brought to us this experience for this reason.

'Yaya is a fantastic player, but I don't think you can win here because Yaya played well. We won here against Newcastle because all the team played really well and we deserved to win.'

Fight for survival: QPR beat Stoke but may need a win at City to secure their top-flight status

'Newcastle are a physical and strong team, but we need to keep improving. This is brilliant for us, though.'

Mancini was also quick to sound a note of caution. 'I hope (this is enough) but I think that it is not,' he added. We have another game - a difficult one like today.

'Today was difficult because Newcastle are a good team. I think we deserved to win, but it was a difficult game. But I will only feel confident after QPR.'

Speaking about his team's win over Swansea, Ferguson said: 'We did what had to do. We won the match.

'We had a lot of chances. I thought we played very, very well. I was pleased to win the match.'

A picture that says it all: Paul Scholes and United fear

Wait for it, Amir: Another year and Floyd may be beaten

Money talks and Floyd Mayweather spoke so eloquently inside and outside the ring in Las Vegas on Saturday night that the whole world sat up and took notice.

The brilliance with which Mayweather repulsed Miguel Cotto’s machismo assault on his unbeaten record spelt out his claim to be recognised above Manny Pacquaio as the best pound-for-pound fighter on planet earth.

Those fight-by-fight exchanges of bragging rights are important since, as Mayweather admits himself: ‘That fight between me and Pacquaio which all the fans want to see is not going to happen.’

Champion: Floyd Mayweather extended his unbeaten record against Miguel Cotto

For that he blames the PacMan’s promoter, Bob Arum, but there are also issues about his own demand for the lion’s share of the $100 million-plus purse.

Only one thing was left unsaid at the MGM Grand Garden: If boxing is dead, then nobody has told the corpse.

As each three minute stanza of dazzling intensity came to its climax the sell-out crowd rose to its feet. Not just to roar its excitement but to applaud the celestial quality of what  all 16,047 of them had just witnessed.

Boxing still can be a noble art and when it is performed with such virtuosity it deserves its standing ovation.

When it is shot through with such courage as this the protagonists deserve their rich rewards, on this hot night in Sin City a minimum  $32million and $8million for Mayweather and Cotto respectively.

Amir Khan would like to share in such a pay-TV bonanza but Mayweather’s master-class sent out another message, once which warned Britain’s Olympian talent to be patient.

In control: Mayweather got the better of Cotto over 12 thrilling rounds

Before trading with the man who calls himself Money our former – and hopefully soon to be reinstated – world light-welterweight champion should have at least one acclimatising fight at full welter and wait until next year.

Khan seeks to regain his titles in a grudge re-match with Lamont Peterson on this Strip in  less than a fortnight. But it is not in his best interests to be the first challenger in waiting when Mayweather comes out of the Clark County jail some three months from now.

Not only does he need to test himself at the heavier weight but by next summer Mayweather will be another year older and Khan another year wiser.

At 35, the not-so-quiet American remains a remarkable athlete and a demonic trainer. But even on this impressive occasion the first subtle signs that Father Time is catching up with him became apparent.

Mayweather explained his willingness to engage in a full-blooded battle with Cotto as a desire to entertain the masses. Maybe so but even the greatest pugilists go through the transition from boxer to fighter as they age.

Tough challenge: Cotto gave Mayweather the toughest fight of his career

As they become less light on their feet and less fluent in movement – almost imperceptibly at first – they find themselves standing and exchanging punches instead of dancing and dazzling.

It is more dramatic to watch but it takes its toll and for the first time in his 43-win career Mayweather was bleeding from  nose and mouth as the battle raged.

Although he won, deservedly, that proved to be a maturing experience. At the final bell he told Cotto: ‘You’re a helluva a champion, the toughest guy I ever fought.’

When the officials gave him victory by a Cotto-insulting 118-110 points on one card and an exaggerated 117-111 on the other two, this man who  has always liked to announce himself perfect was the first to voice dissent: ‘This was a night of blood, sweat and tears and Miguel won a few rounds.’
That he did, four of them on my 116-112 scorecard.

Cotto troubled Mayweather with his violent persistence at close quarters, even though he was caught marginally more often by the accuracy of his celebrated challenger’s mix of counter punches and offensive combinations.

Wait: Amir Khan (right) must beat Lamont Peterson before facing Mayweather

The fight was in the balance until Mayweather changed up a gear with four rounds to go, culminating his effort with a grandstand finish in the 12th which had the Puerto Rican staggering.

But Cotto , whose WBA light-middleweight belt was on the line, is nothing if not defiant and when the last bell sounded they embraced in mutual respect.

Perhaps the imminence of the June 1 start to his prison sentence for domestic violence is enabling Mayweather to put his life in more reasoned perspective. It certainly sounded like that as he said: ‘Going away is an obstacle I must overcome by strengthening my mind – and next time I am in a situation like that I hope I will deal with it a different way.’

He spoke after adapting in the ring to become a world champion for the eighth time in five different weight divisions.

Despite the degree of difficult and discomfort which Cotto brought to the equation, Mayweather said: ‘It was a cool fight.’

It is  also one which breathes life back into a sport requiring resuscitation.

As Oscar De La  Hoya, president of promoters Golden Boy, put it so succinctly: ‘This was a beautiful thing for boxing.’