Gary Lineker gives Phil Foden a new nickname after Man City v Brighton performance

direct to your inboxGary Lineker has sent Manchester United and Liverpool a "frightening" Premier League title warning after Manchester City climbed to the top of the table.City thumped West Bromwich Albion 5-0 at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night to leapfrog United and go top for the first time this season.

straight to your inboxManchester City could go to the top of the Premier League with a win against West Brom on Tuesday, albeit temporarily, with rivals Manchester United in action on Wednesday.City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker for the trip to The Hawthorns this midweek, with Ruben Dias and John Stones set to start once again in the centre of City's defence.Bernardo Silva should drop into midfield alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, whilst Phil

straight to your inbox every day for freeMore than 10 million people watched the BBC coverage of Manchester United's victory over Liverpool, presenter Gary Lineker has revealed.The FA Cup fourth round tie at Old Trafford on Sunday was broadcast live on BBC One. There was always likely to be plenty of interest in the match - and viewers were not disappointed as United edged a thrilling encounter 3-2.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola could call two academy players up for Manchester City's FA Cup trip to Cheltenham, and use the opportunity to bring back a number of players from injury or the fringes.With Kyle Walker, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne out, Guardiola might have to alter some of his plans against the League Two minnows.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has challenged his Manchester City players to find another irreplaceable quality to make up for losing Kevin De Bruyne.City's talented playmaker could be missing for up to six weeks with the hamstring injury he picked up against Aston Villa in midweek in what has been the biggest setback to their season since the major Covid outbreak in the squad last month.However, the Blues found a way to win without him on Wednesday and are in excellent form in the Premier

direct to your inboxAn ever-changing Premier League title race has taken another twist as Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out for the next month.City have gone from eight points behind Liverpool before Christmas to four ahead of the Champions with a game in hand and two behind Manchester United.

straight to your inbox Kevin De Bruyne will be out for up to six weeks to hand Manchester City another blow to their Premier League title hopes. The Blues discovered yesterday that Sergio Aguero faces an undetermined spell out after testing positive for Covid-19.

straight to your inboxKevin De Bruyne has played down fears over the long-term nature of his injury while speaking to a gamer on Twitch.De Bruyne limped out of Manchester City's win over Aston Villa, and is expected to be out for a fortnight, putting his participation against Liverpool on February 7 in doubt.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was left hoping on Wednesday night that the injuries that forced Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne off against Aston Villa will not be too serious.Manchester City continued their good form, winning their sixth straight league game and ninth in all competitions to reach the Premier League summit for the first time this season thanks to late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.However, they had to make do without two of their starting XI for long spells.

direct to your inboxGary Lineker has given his thoughts on this season's 'fascinating' Premier League title chase after watching the latest matches involving Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.United currently lead the way after they drew 0-0 with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday to remain three points clear of the defending champions. City then laid down a marker by beating Crystal Palace 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to move up to second in the table.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola kept bringing up Manchester City's dropped points against Crystal Palace in previous meetings ahead of Wednesday's game as he urged his team to improve. With the magical boot of Kevin De Bruyne and an inspired John Stones, the players responded to the message and a 4-0 win at the Etihad gave them their first home victory over Roy Hodgson's side in over three years.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola could not find the words to express Kevin De Bruyne's brilliance after another majestic assist helped Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.Crystal Palace were making life difficult for the hosts before a brilliant ball from the right spun into the box from De Bruyne and was headed in by John Stones for the opening goal.

straight to your inbox every day for freeGary Lineker has paid tribute to Wayne Rooney following his decision to retire from football. The Manchester United legend has opted to hang up his boots in order to fully focus on managing Derby County, having been caretaker boss of the Championship club since late November.

straight to your inboxJoleon Lescott says he is "obsessed" with Manchester City ace Phil Foden.Lescott waxed lyrical about the 20-year-old midfielder following City's 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.Foden scored the only goal of the game in the 44th minute, showing excellent touch and finishing skills after being set up by Kevin De Bruyne.The England international is now City's top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions, to go along with five assists.After watching his

direct to your inboxPhil Foden believes Manchester City are back to their best as they look to mount a Premier League title challenge this season.Foden scored the only goal of the game as Pep Guardiola's side beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 in Wednesday evening's clash at the Etihad Stadium.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has suggested that Kevin De Bruyne will continue to be Manchester City's penalty taker despite not dusting himself off to take the spotkick that he won against Brighton. City were struggling to see out the win against a gutsy Brighton side but were given a golden opportunity when Kevin De Bruyne was fouled in the box late on.