Premier League Champions returned to winning ways after a difficult week off the pitch. Due to storm Ciara, this game was postponed to 10 days but Manchester City were dominant right from the start and it was a one-sided victory at home for them yet again. It was their first game since they received two years ban from Uefa to play in Europe and their fans must be pleased with this win.
Three points helped them to stay in the second spot in the table with Liverpool now are just 22 points above them. For David Moyes’s side, it was another defeat and that puts them now in the relegation zone. Things have not looked great for the Londoners this season and they will now want to turn things around in their upcoming fixture against Liverpool.
With that being said, it will not be an easy job and they will really have to outshine their opponents. They have been poor this term and failed to make any sort of real impact under Manuel Pellegrini. However, with Moyes coming in, there has been some improvement amongst their ranks.
With that being said, here are the talking points of the match-
Rodri puts City ahead with a set-piece goal
It was the first goal at the Etihad for Rodri who opened the scoring in half an hour mark. He was one of the least expected players on the pitch to score, though Pep Guardiola and co. would take any goal that they can get. It was a good win for them and Rodri did play his part in making this happen for his side, as they get set to face off against Real Madrid soon.
Kevin De Bruyne’s sweet 16
The Belgian made his 16th assist for the season with his pass for the first goal. Since his City debut in 2016, Only Messi has more assists (62) to his name than KDB (61). He has looked a class apart in the current campaign and is surely one of the best players in England.
Gabriel Jesus had a tough night
On another day it could have been a hattrick for the Brazillian but each time he took too long for the final shot and hammer’s defence closed him down. Another top-class performance for EL Mago. With few months remaining in his City contract, David Silva made yet another solid outing.
Despite that, the quality was just not present upfront, as Jesus wasted chance after chance and this did not help his confidence. The hosts tried to showcase a solid performance and it was still quite emphatic, there could have surely been more goals in this game.
MOTM – Kevin De Bruyne
On the hour mark, the Belgian scored his 49th Manchester City goal to earn three points for his side. A huge week is coming up for them. Next Up for City a trip to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City in the League who are four points below them at third before a trip to Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in the Champions League.