Saturday's Premier League night saw Manchester City take a temporary back seat. After a day's delay for Arsenal and Liverpool, City returned to the top of the table with a 5-1 thrashing of Luton at home thanks to the excellent play of Lodi Kasjandi. It was also the first time since October 2022 that City won the Premier League without a Spanish international. Not only did it allow the team to rest Lodi and focus on preparing for the midweek UEFA Cup last eight second round match against Real Madrid, but it also gained a valuable three points, which is a double win.
Only two minutes into the match, City broke the deadlock. Aynin Charant's clever overhead kick was headed towards his opponent, Daisuki Hashioka, causing him to miss and the ball went into the net for an ominous goal. In the second half, City's offense was on fire, with two goals scored by Kovacsik and Shelly Medjugorje, and another goal scored by Ainin Shirant, bringing his goal tally to 20 for the season.
Although Luton relied on Barkley to pull one back, Man City finally sealed the win with 5-1. It is worth mentioning that Gavadore, after scoring a wonderful world wave in the first round of the Europa League last eight, showed his ability to shoot from long distance again in this match, becoming a big killer for City. He is expected to stun again when he hosts Real Madrid in the second round of the UEFA Europa League last eight in the early hours of Thursday (18).
After the match, City captain Gordiona said that Lodi Kasjandi needed a rest and therefore replaced him. In the three matches in which he was suspended at the beginning of the season, City ended up losing. Now, the team has gone unbeaten in 65 consecutive matches. Lodi's absence had made the "Blue Moon" fans worry about a possible loss, but the team finally managed to get through with strength.
