It was a stunning performance by Manchester City to roar back to the top of the Premier League with a 6-1 win over Huddersfield Town and one in which fans at the Etihad weren’t joking about when they sang “It should have been ten!”.
The Terriers gained a point at the Etihad last season while City were celebrating landing the title but they know they will have to scrap for every point they can get after being thrashed by a City side unable to call on Kevin De Bruyne and who had left Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez, and Raheem Sterling on the bench.
If rival managers thought they had the drop on City manager Pep Guardiola after watching the Amazon documentary about Manchester City – All or Nothing – his tactical switch to a 3-5-2 formation using both Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero will have them going back to the drawing board if they were thinking that they could park the bus to frustrate Pep’s swashbucklers.
For what it’s worth, David Wagner’s Town can’t rely on freak results like last season’s victory against Manchester United for points this term and could find their second season back in the top flight to be very difficult unless they find a way to recapture last season’s Terrier spirit when less difficult fixtures come.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson: 7. Spectator but also turned creator with a devastating goal kick to beat the Town press.
Stones: 7. Some good attacking forays into midfield
Kompany: 7. Marshalled the City defence
Laporte: 7. Solid in defence
Fernandinho: 8. Hoovered up in midfield and created attacks
Bernardo Silva: 9. Creating mayhem down City’s right flank
Gundogan: 7. Linked play well deeper try and prise open the Town press.
David Silva: 9. Back where he left off with trick and turns to slide players through. Wonderful free kick from 25 yards to put City 4-1 up.
Benjamin Mendy: 9. Galloping runs down the left and linked well with Jesus to provide the second goal and his cross was spilled by Ben Hamer for Aguero’s second.
Gabriel Jesus: 8. Plenty of goal menace, and workrate behind the front line too and up front with Sergio Aguero and took his goal well.
Sergio Aguero: 10. Worked hard throughout. Was alert to Ederson’s rocket of a clearance, turned Chris Schindler easily and drew out Ben Hamer before curling the ball into an unguarded net before poaching the loose ball after Hamer spilled it. Linked brilliantly with Jesus and his cheeky backheel of Mendy’s late cross for his hat trick was imperious. Could have doubled that tally – he hit the post in the second half
Manchester City Subs:
Riyad Mahrez (for David Silva, 64): 7. Slotted in on the right side but was a bit greedy at the end of the game when on a final City break but opted for a shot with Leroy Sane free to his left.
Leroy Sane (for Sergio Aguero, 76): 6. Tried to stretch a tired Town side and forced an own goal from Terence Kongolo after Gabriel Jesus had put him through wide on the left – his shot had been blocked by Ben Hamer only to go in after an unlucky deflection off the Town defender.
Phil Foden (for Ilkay Gundogan, 82): Too late to mark.
Man of the Match: Only one candidate here but David Silva was in contention until Sergio Aguero completed his hat trick
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 6, Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Ederson, Stones, Kompany, Laporte, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan (Foden 82), David Silva (Mahrez 64), Mendy, Jesus, Aguero (Sane 76)
Man City Subs not used: Bravo, Walker, Sterling, Otamendi
Goals: Aguero 25, 35, 75; Jesus 31, David Silva 48, Kongolo og 84
Huddersfield Town: Hamer, Smith, Stankovic, Schindler, Kongolo, Lowe, Hadergjonaj, Pritchard (Diakhaby 61), Billing, Sabiri (Depoitre 46). Mounie (Sobhi 84)
Huddersfield Town Subs not used: Lossl, Van La Parra, Mbenza, Williams
Booked: Billing 51, Schindler 69
Goal: Stankovic 43