City look even more likely to be securing a top 3 finish by the end of the season, with The Blues running home as 6-0 victors against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday afternoon; a fine display capping off what has been an improved few weeks at Eastlands.
The first half started as many would have expected it to, with The Blues on top, as has been the case for much of the season. Fortunately, they managed to make their early pressure count as they opened the scoring just minutes into the game from Sergio Aguero. The Argentine picked up the ball on the right, before going on a run past several QPR players, keeping the ball with a mixture of skill and luck, before putting it past Rob Green as a sign of things to come.
However, it looked like it might not be so easy for The Blues despite going ahead so soon. QPR looked like they could do damage, and had a goal disallowed for offside prior to City netting their second. Fortunately, they put doubts to the back of everyone’s minds on 32 minutes, when Aleksandar Kolarov curled home a sublime free-kick past Rob Green. From that point onwards, City looked permanently in control and unlikely to let anything slip.
It took until the second half for The Blues to extend their lead however. The goal that did it came on 50 minutes, when Silva looked to play Aguero through. It looked like a QPR defender might just intercept the pass, and probably should have done, but he misjudged it and it allowed Aguero a clear run on goal. He took his time, before sliding it home past a helpless Rob Green to get City’s third, and Aguero’s second.
The hosts didn’t have quite as long to wait for the fourth goal, with it coming on 62 minutes. The Blues were (rightly) given a penalty in the box, and there were no doubts about the man to take it – Sergio Aguero. Already on two, he stepped up with the confidence in his stride that is omnipresent, and sent it home to get his hattrick and make everyone wonder why it wasn’t this easy in 2012. Nevertheless, it further increased Aguero’s chances of being the Golden Boot winner come the end of the season.
The Argentina international was also involved in City’s fifth, although not scoring it. A corner was sent in from the left on 70 minutes, and it found Wilfried Bony, on as a substitute. His glancing header found Aguero at the back post, who was able to play it back along the six-yard box for Milner to finish comfortably. There might be some calls for offside, but for most it looked legitimate, and probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
The real icing on the cake came late in the game on 87 minutes, when Silva set away Aguero down the left-wing. The ball eventually found its way back to David Silva making his way into the box, and he was able to take it round Rob Green across the entire face of the goal, before turning to put the ball in for six, with Joey Barton’s efforts to keep out the goal proving fruitless.
With two games to go, it’s looking unlikely that City will miss out on automatic Champions League qualification, as was the fear a month ago, and now attention turns to whether they can get second place ahead of Arsenal, who play on Monday night. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing QPR back at Eastlands next season – not in league action anyway – with the 6-0 defeat sealing the relegation of The Hoops and four former City players – Shaun Wright-Philips and Richard Dunne (who got great reactions from The Blues faithful), Joey Barton (who wasn’t quite as well-received) and Nedum Onuoha (who didn’t play). The focus now remains on the final two games, with a trip to Swansea City lined up next weekend.
