Manchester City got back to winning ways as they started the New Year with an impressive 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium to notch up their 20th league win of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s men ended 2017 with a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Crystal Palace as they lost Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne to injuries. Fortunately for the Citizens, De Bruyne was able to recover from the injury scare to start the Watford match. Marco Silva’s Watford lost out to struggling Swansea City under their new boss Carlos Carvalhal in a 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road as the visitors scored two late goals to seal the three points.
The home side got off to a rapid start as Leroy Sane’s whipped cross found Raheem Sterling unmarked for his 14th league goal after 38 seconds, which is currently the quickest Premier League goal this season. The lead was doubled 12 minutes later as a delightful Kevin de Bruyne cross was turned into his own net by Watford’s Christian Kabasele as the league leaders strengthened their advantage over their opponents. It could have been 3-0 minutes later as De Bruyne’s free-kick forced Heurelho Gomes to tip the ball onto the crossbar.
The third goal of the match came in the 63rd minute as De Bruyne, once again, hit a cross that Gomes failed to fully deal with and gave Sergio Aguero his chance to seal the victory for City and notch up his 13th league goal of the season. The visitors did score a consolation goal with eight minutes remaining as Andre Gary tapped in an low cross from Andre Carrillo.
The home side regained their 15-point advantage over nearest rivals Manchester United in second, which could change depending on Chelsea’s game against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Here are our player ratings from the match.
Ederson - 8
Was on hand to deny Andre Gray twice in the first half with two fantastic saves. His distribution was on point once again as the away side failed to deal with his accurate, long-range passes.
Kyle Walker - 7
His pace and physicality was crucial to City at both ends of the pitch, but he really should have done better when it came to Watford’s consolation goal.
John Stones - 8
Brought back into the side after over a month on the sidelines with a hamstring strain, Stones put in one of his trademark performances at the back, consisting of good quality passes and composed defending.
Nicolas Otamendi - 8
In the absence of Stones, Otamendi was given the mantle of emulating the Englishman’s style of play at the back, and he has come leaps and bounds during that time. His ability to play the ball out from the back has developed under Guardiola to a stage of world-class potential. One of the players of the season.
Fabian Delph - 8
First game back after a small injury, which has seen his side miss his presence at the back. It just shows how far he has come from being an outsider in the team and nearly leaving to join a relegation-threatened Stoke City, to now starting in a position that many would never have considered him to play in.
Kevin De Bruyne - 9
That is how you respond to an injury scare! The Belgian wizard put in a performance worthy of a world-class player as he tore apart a hapless Watford side. Two of his many crosses resulted in goals – one being an own goal and the other for Aguero. The motivation this guy has in himself and his team-mates is a big reason for this City side’s dominance in the league.
Fernandinho - 8
Despite not having the elegance of his fellow midfielders, the Brazilian is good at being physical and ruthless when needs be. He is one of the main reasons behind how quick City counter-attack opposition defences as he provides the lynchpin for their midfield.
David Silva - 9
Put in an exceptional performance despite everything that is going on in his private life. His range of passing was essential in releasing Leroy Sane down the left, which helped the German find his form.
On a side note, I hope whatever is going on in Silva’s private life is resolved in the best possible way.
Raheem Sterling - 7
Another good performance from the Englishman as he converted his 18th goal of the season in all competitions to get City off to a rapid start. A constant pain for Watford down the right as he looked to punish any mistakes and create more chances.
Sergio Aguero - 7
Scored a crucial goal for his confidence after missing two good opportunities beforehand. With Jesus out for 4-6 weeks, the Argentine must now step up and show everyone why he still is one of the best strikers in the league.
Leroy Sane - 9
Sane looked back to his best as he constantly broke down the Watford backline, which all started from the first whistle as his cross found Sterling for the opening goal. David Silva’s passing play was crucial for these moves to work efficiently, which helped ensure the victory.
Substitutions
Danilo (for Stones 67) – A solid display from the Brazilian – 7
Yaya Toure (for Fernandinho 71) – No issues in his performance as he controlled the midfield efficiently – 7
Bernardo Silva (for De Bruyne 79) – No time to mark