MANCHESTER CITY 7, STOKE CITY 2
Manchester City scored five goals at the Etihad for the third successive Premier League game as they trounced Stoke City despite a brief comeback either side of half time by the Potters.
Gabriel Jesus scored twice, and Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane, and Bernardo Silva put Stoke to the sword on a warm October day to go two points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The man of the match didn’t get on the scoresheet, though, as Belgian maestro Kevin De Bruyne was the orchestrator of Stoke’s downfall.
The Potters briefly put themselves back into contention, making it 3-2 shortly after the break with a Mame Diouf goal and a Kyle Walker own goal but City simply upped a gear and polished them off with just under half an hour to go.
Pep Guardiola named an unchanged side for only the third time as Manchester City boss after their convincing victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and Sergio Aguero was a surprise inclusion on the bench after training during the week following a rib injury in Amsterdam.
The City players paid tribute to injured team mate Benjamin Mendy by wearing training tops bearing his squad number with a colourful shark on the front during the warm up.
Stoke were missing Ryan Shawcross and Joe Allen from their usual line-up and perhaps the Stoke captain might have made better effort at stopping one of Kevin De Bruyne’s crosses from deep on the right as Stoke looked weak at the back without his leadership.
City continually redefine utter dominance this season and 84% possession in the first half showed that the “game of the season” was in fact at the Etihad but City had one blip to spoil what was overwise a totally dominant first half and finished the game with just under 80% possession.
City could have taken the lead after just eight minutes when the loose ball fell to Leroy Sane who snatched at his shot from 12 yards out after creating space for the shot.
Raheem Sterling had tried a couple of shots from a wider berth on the right as City pressed home their advantage down the right side.
And the right hand side was there City capitalised on Stoke’s defensive weakness in the 17th minute, with De Bruyne’s forward pass sliding in Kyle Walker who raced to the touchline and cut back for Gabriel Jesus to stab home from six yards out after he had got in front of two markers to hit his sixth goal of the season for City.
Two minutes later and Sterling delivered a second blow to the reeling Potters after De Bruyne delivered another killer pass straight into the path of Sane who unselfishly squared the ball across the edge of the six yard box leaving the England winger plenty of time to pick his spot for his seventh goal of the season.
David Silva got in on the goals with 27 minutes gone after initially miscontrolling Raheem Sterling’s cut back before driving it inside the far post past the diving Butland – opening his City account for the season – and leaving Stoke fans utterly shell-shocked.
To further confound the Stoke defence, Sterling and Sane swapped sides and Sterling almost created a chance from the left for Jesus but for a save by the rattled Butland who almost spilled it, while Silva was denied by the England man after Sterling’s lay off sent him clear down the left.
The breathtaking attacking may have seen some Stoke fans make an early exit but they would have missed a goal for Mame Diouf who made a rare trip upfield, cut inside Fabian Delph, and found Jese who returned the ball to him with a deft back heel.
Diouf’s shot then wrong-footed Ederson after being deflected off a backtracking Delph leaving the Etihad in silence a minute before half time with Guardiola fuming at the error by Leroy Sane which allowed the Potters to counter attack.
De Bruyne could have restored the three goal lead in added time but was denied by a flying Butland who tipped the ball away.
Diouf hauled Stoke back into contention less than 2 minutes into the second half when he got in front of Walker to meet Thomas Edwards’ right wing cross – his header deflected in off the luckless Walker’s thigh which will surely attract some comforting words from his friend Mendy.
City had time to regroup following an unfortunate injury to Edwards, who sustained an ankle injury following a block tackle by Delph.
Normal service was resumed as De Bruyne intercepted a loose ball from half time substitute Bruno Martins-Indi and quickly crossed for Gabriel Jesus who rifled the ball into the roof of the net from 10 yards out after 56 minutes.
De Bruyne then killed any lingering thoughts of a Stoke comeback when he passed the ball to Delph who laid it off for Fernandinho to send a rocket past Butland and in off the crossbar on the hour – and what a first goal of the season for the Brazilian.
And the Belgian swept the ball from right to left into the stride of Sane who nutmegged Butland from 6 yards out two minutes later for his sixth strike of the season.
With thoughts of Napoli on the horizon, Guardiola opted to rest De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus and the Belgian in particular was given a fitting send off with the whole stadium paying respect to the architect of Stoke’s demise .
City’s subs were not going to let the foot off the gas as Yaya Toure breezed forward with the ball in the 79th minute and found Raheem Sterling with a through ball. The England winger got the ball to Bernardo Silva at the second attempt and City scored their seventh goal of a remarkable day.
David Silva threatened an eighth for City after Sterling had found him for a curling shot close to the end but Stoke had taken enough punishment.