Man City - Goalkeeper Ederson suffers eye injury, ruled out for the last two matches of the season - against West Ham in Matchday 38 of the Premier League and then facing Manchester United in the FA Cup final
Ederson collided heavily with Cristian Romero in the second half of the match where Man City won 2-0 against Tottenham in the Premier League on May 14th. After receiving medical attention, the Brazilian goalkeeper could continue playing. By the 69th minute, Pep Guardiola substituted Ederson with Stefan Ortega to protect the player's health following the strong collision in the head area.
[caption id="attachment_5276" align="alignnone" width="600"] Goalkeeper Ederson makes a save from Son Heung-min's shot in the match where Man City defeated Tottenham 2-0 in the Premier League on May 14th. Photo: Reuters[/caption]
Ederson expressed dissatisfaction with this decision, kicking forcefully at the water bottle on the sidelines and showing anger towards Guardiola. After being replaced, the 30-year-old goalkeeper burst into tears.
On May 16th, after a medical examination, Man City announced that Ederson had a small crack in his right eye socket. He is confirmed to miss the remaining two decisive matches of the season.
This means Ortega will start in goal for the matches against West Ham and Manchester United. Ortega joined Man City in 2022, on a free transfer from German club Arminia Bielefeld. The German goalkeeper has played 31 matches in nearly two seasons for the English club and won five titles in 2023.
It was Ortega who replaced Ederson in the match against Tottenham earlier in the week and caused a stir by saving Son Heung-min's one-on-one shot in the 86th minute, when Man City were leading 1-0. If Son had scored in this situation, Man City could have lost the top spot and forfeited their chance to win the league against Arsenal before the final round.
[caption id="attachment_5277" align="alignnone" width="600"] Ortega (in blue) in the crucial save against Son Heung-min's shot that seemed destined for the net[/caption]
"Ortega showed what a team is like. He made that save, if not, Arsenal would have won," Guardiola said after the match. "Do you know how many times Son has punished us in seven or eight years? I whispered, 'Oh no, no more'. But Ortega made an incredible save."
Rodri also praised Ortega for his decisive save in the title race. "Ortega was fantastic. The score was 1-0 and if Tottenham had scored, we would have been at a disadvantage in the title race," the Spanish midfielder said. "Ortega made an outstanding save and I have no more words. The substitute players were all fantastic, Ortega saved us and Jeremy Doku was unbelievable. That speaks to the strength of this team."
[caption id="attachment_5278" align="alignnone" width="480"] Guardiola encourages Ortega after the match where Man City defeated Tottenham on May 14th. Photo: AFP[/caption]
Similarly, Izzy Christiansen, a former Man City forward from 2014 to 2018, believes Moreno may have helped Man City win the Premier League by stopping Son's shot. Christiansen also praised Guardiola for trusting and courageously bringing Moreno onto the field, even though Ederson could have continued playing and showed signs of anger when substituted early.
Meanwhile, Nedum Onuoha, a former defender for Man City from 2004 to 2012, said: "That moment when Son broke through was like a horror movie. You think ten months of title race could be destroyed when Son faced off and is one of the best finishers in the league. What I liked was Ortega waiting for the opportunity and not rushing. There aren't many goalkeepers who can save such one-on-one situations."
The victory against Tottenham helped Man City regain control in the title race before the final round on May 19th. Guardiola's team returned to the top of the table with 88 points, two points ahead of Arsenal, and will set a record for winning four consecutive titles if they defeat West Ham at the Etihad on May 19th.
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