"The best team won, we struggled from the beginning and we couldn't deal with their long balls. Usually, you press the ball to win it, but this was different. They defended so deep and so well," City coach Pep Guardiola told the BBC.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool raised the spirits with a rip-roaring 2-2 draw in a pre-Christmas Premier League classic on Sunday after a weekend marred by COVID-19 related postponements.
Three months after the last ball was kicked, the Premier League emerges from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic this week for what will be a 92-match slog to the finish.
For the only eighth time in Premier League history, the title will be decided on the final day
A summary of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Kazakhstan's Astana fought back to beat a youthful Manchester United side 2-1 at home, Arsenal's woes continued as Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada scored twice to secure a 2-1 win.
Images from the football matches played on Tuesday.
West Ham United and Chelsea both narrowly avoided ignominious FA Cup exits with narrow wins against lower-league opposition but Everton marked Frank Lampard's first game in charge by sauntering past Brentford into the fifth round on Saturday.
Timo Werner scored his first goal of the season as a much-changed Chelsea side crept into the fourth round of the League Cup by beating Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after the Stamford Bridge clash ended 1-1 on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur secured a place in the Europa League next season as they closed out their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
'There is a difference where we want to be in the Champions League, but when you're a club like Manchester United, there's a need to be in the Champions League'
Liverpool are champions and Norwich City, the side whom they beat on Aug. 9 to launch their title charge, are down and Manchester City are distant runners-up. After that everything is up for grabs.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
Arsenal became the highest-profile casualties of the FA Cup third round as the 14-time winners lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, but Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur avoided early exits after scares against lower-league sides on Sunday.
Leicester City's traumatic week ended with a 1-0 win at Cardiff City although the result was never the chief concern on a day when the tributes flowed for the Midlands club's late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in a helicopter crash.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
"The only truth is that I made the decision that Paul will not be a second (vice) captain anymore but no fallout, no problems at all," Mourinho said after his team were knocked out of the League Cup on penalties by second-tier Derby County.
The 13-year-old Burnley fan who made a racial slur against Spurs' Son Heung-Min will be made to work in conjunction with Kick It Out and Burnley FC in the Community programs.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
City's dream of a quadruple of titles ended with their away-goals loss after Wednesday's second-leg ended with a 4-3 win, but a 4-4 aggregate score.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Arsenal's new manager Unai Emery faces a baptism of fire after the Gunners were handed an opening day fixture at home to Premier League champions Manchester City.
Manchester United took a big step towards the Europa League quarter-finals by thrashing Austrian side LASK Linz 5-0 on Thursday in their last 16 first-leg tie at an empty Linzer Stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League leaders Manchester City recovered from two goals down to beat Championship side Swansea City 3-2 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday and progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen scored his first goal for the club since last month's move from Tottenham Hotspur to set up a 2-0 win at Ludogorets Razgrad in their Europa League last 32, first leg on Thursday. Getafe pulled off a surprise 2-0 home win over last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam, while Manchester United were held 1-1 at Club Brugge in wet and windy conditions. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Diogo Jota scored a second successive hat-trick in the competition to lead his side to a 4-0 victory over Espanyol and Arsenal won 1-0 at Olympiakos Piraeus with a late Alexandre Lacazette goal.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Liverpool have the joint biggest lead in top-flight history at this stage of the campaign and no team has ever failed to win the title with an advantage of this size. Already there is talk of Liverpool going through the league entire season unbeaten -- matching the 'The Invincibles' of Arsenal in 2003/04 and Preston North End in 1888/89.
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
There will be no seismic shifts in the balance of the world's richest football competition if the first weekend of the new Premier League season is anything to go by.
Liverpool face Spurs in the game of the weekend, a day after title rivals Manchester City travel to struggling Fulham.
Ayew strikes as Palace hold Southampton to 2-2 draw
Bayern's Mazraoui suffers heart complications due to COVID
A summary of Sunday's Premier League matches
Manchester United and Chelsea secured places in the Champions League with wins on the final day of the Premier League season while Watford and Bournemouth were relegated along with bottom club Norwich City.
Manchester City beat bottom club Sheffield United 1-0 to move three points clear of Manchester United who were held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
The two previous meetings at Anfield ended in 4-0 and 3-1 defeats for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal teams, but there is a fresh optimism around the club after a successful transfer window.
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