The following day, April 19, 2015, Manchester City hosted West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium. It was a must-win match for City to keep their hopes alive in the Premier League title race this season.
Manchester City attacked right from the start of the match. Their determination to win was evident from the very first minute.
Wave after wave of attacks launched by Manchester City finally paid off. In the 18th minute, James Collins scored an own goal, breaking the deadlock. City led 1-0.
This goal spurred West Ham into action. They started pressing City, making the game much more intense.
In the 36th minute, Manchester City launched a counterattack after Yaya Toure intercepted a pass. Aguero converted the opportunity into a goal after receiving a pass from Navas. The score was now 2-0.
The match continued, but no further goals were scored. City secured three crucial points with this victory, bringing their total to 76 points from 33 matches.
Chelsea also had 76 points, but they had played one game fewer than City.
On April 21, Kenneth rejoined the first team but trained separately under the supervision of fitness coach Neil Roberts. His task was to regain his physical condition and ensure a full recovery from his leg injury.
The following day, Kenneth returned to training but took some time to watch an under-21 match between Manchester City and Southampton. He supported his teammates from the bench.
In the third minute, Ryan Seager scored a goal from a Sam Gallagher assist, putting Southampton ahead 1-0 against Manchester City U21.
City's young side worked hard to respond, but Iheanacho and Pozo wasted several golden opportunities, leaving the first half to end with a score of 0-1.
In the locker room, Kenneth whispered to Maffeo.
"I think you could try being more selfish. Try cutting into the penalty box from the half-space. Let Pozo pull the defenders wide."
Pablo Maffeo was slightly puzzled by Kenneth's suggestion. "You know I play as an inverted full-back, staying level with the defensive midfielder, right? The half-space belongs to Kean Byrne."
Kean Byrne, playing as a right-sided midfielder, often combined with Pozo, who was also on the right. However, based on Kenneth's observation, Kean seemed stiff, reluctant to push forward too deeply. As a result, Pozo was isolated in the attack on the right side.
Kenneth replied to Maffeo with a simple quote: "Sometimes you have to do it yourself."
Maffeo nodded.
When the match resumed, the tempo remained high. Southampton U21 continued creating dangerous chances through counterattacks. However, Adarabioyo stood out, successfully blocking and intercepting many of their attempts.
In the 55th minute, Maffeo followed Kenneth's advice, suddenly dribbling forward into the penalty box. His movement was so unexpected that it caught everyone off guard. As Southampton scrambled to close the gap, Maffeo sent a low cross to the far post. Iheanacho met the pass and calmly slotted it into Southampton's net.
Manchester City equalized 1-1.
The match became much more exciting. Maffeo's movement grew increasingly unpredictable. Sometimes he moved wide to the right to support Pozo, other times he drove forward like an inverted winger, and he also dropped back to assist in defense.
His versatility made Manchester City's attacks more threatening. Unfortunately, Southampton managed to score a second goal.
Maffeo, having pushed too far forward, left a gap on City's right side. Another Southampton counterattack exploited this space, leading to a chance that their young striker, Ryan Seager, converted with his right foot.
City desperately chased an equalizer, but they struggled as Southampton fully committed to defense. In the end, City lost 1-2 to Southampton U21.
The City players were disappointed with the result, but Vieira didn't scold the young men. Instead, he consoled them and encouraged them to keep improving.
"I got so caught up in playing with that kind of freedom, I completely forgot about defending," Maffeo admitted to Kenneth.
Kenneth offered a different perspective. "I don't think that's a problem. You created several chances in the second half. It should've been someone else's responsibility to cover your position."
In his view, when a player, especially a full-back, leaves their defensive position to contribute to the attack, their impact must be judged positively. If their involvement proves effective, it's up to the team to provide cover so the player can continue to attack freely.
This reminded Kenneth of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
As an attacking full-back, Alexander-Arnold is a crucial part of Liverpool's offense. Yet, he is often criticized for his defensive abilities. However, Kenneth believed Trent's defending wasn't as weak as some claimed. Even when he struggled against elite players like Vinícius Júnior, it was understandable—most full-backs in the world would find it difficult to contain players of that caliber.
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Time passed quickly. On April 25, 2015, Manchester City hosted Aston Villa in the 34th round of the Premier League.
Kenneth was on the bench for this match.
The game kicked off.
Just three minutes in, a goal was already scored. Aston Villa's goalkeeper, Brad Guzan, made a catastrophic error. He attempted a pass to a defender on the right, but his pass was too weak, allowing Aguero to intercept it and slot the ball into the net.
It was a perfect start for Manchester City.
The match was fairly balanced, with neither team dominating possession or shots on goal. Despite the intensity, no additional goals were scored in the first half, and City maintained their 1-0 lead at the break.
Recognizing Aston Villa's growing aggression, Pellegrini decided to bolster the defense. He substituted Yaya Toure with Fernandinho early in the second half.
Not long after, in the 57th minute, Pellegrini, noticing that Lampard was struggling to cope with the high-intensity game, replaced him with James Milner.
Kenneth wasn't surprised by Pellegrini's decision to bring on Milner instead of him. Ruben Cousillas had already informed Kenneth that he wouldn't play, as the staff wanted to ensure his recovery was 100%.
In the 66th minute, Aleksandar Kolarov scored a brilliant free-kick, extending City's lead to 2-0.
Just when everyone thought City had secured the win, Aston Villa shocked the crowd.
Within two minutes, Villa pulled one back. Following a free-kick, chaos ensued in City's penalty box, which Tom Cleverley capitalized on to score.
The goal reignited the match. A fierce exchange of attacks unfolded at the Etihad Stadium. By the 80th minute, the intensity had reached its peak.
Once again, a set piece led to a goal. In the 85th minute, Aston Villa won a corner, which Carlos Sanchez converted to make it 2-2. The goal silenced the City supporters, and anxiety rippled through the stands. A draw in this match would deal a severe blow to City's title hopes.
Fortunately, Fernandinho emerged as the hero. In the 89th minute, he scored the winning goal—the fourth set-piece goal of the game. Kolarov delivered the corner, and Fernandinho expertly finished it.
The match ended in a 3-2 victory for Manchester City. Without a doubt, Aleksandar Kolarov was the man of the match.