Man City 3, Watford 1 – Player Ratings
VAR controversy again
VAR is coming into the Premier League next season and Pep Guardiola supports this but City’s first goal continued the conversation about VAR after Manchester United’s handball penalty call in Paris during the week.
Raheem Sterling’s first goal needed a VAR style discussion between the referee and his assistant before they agreed how things had transpired.
Replays showed that Aguero’s ball to Raheem Sterling would have been offside had the winger touched it first but Daryl Janmaat stretched and got to it first only to deflect it off Sterling’s shin and up and inside the back post.
The relief at the Etihad Stadium was palpable after a tense 2 minutes with the referee on the sidelines talking with his assistant.
A game of two halves for Raheem Sterling
Not much went right for Raheem Sterling in the first half against the massed defence of Watford.
After a tense 45 minutes, Manchester City scored twice in two minutes just after the break with Sterling breaking the deadlock, and the winger completed his hat trick in 13 minutes and 12 seconds.
Sterling’s first goal was already controversial but his second goal was a much more recognisable work of art by City, with David Silva slipping in Riyad Mahrez to put in a low cross into the six yard box for Sterling to tap into an empty net.
Silva put Sterling through again with a defence splitting pass to complete only his second Man City hat trick.
Concentration slip costs City a clean sheet
Gerard Deulofeu scored with his first touch 17 seconds after coming on as a substitute. City switched off at a free kick – their first goal conceded in the league for a month.
Pep Guardiola accepts City will drop more points in this tight title race but won’t be happy with the manner in which they conceded.
In a tighter game the effects could be disastrous
Sides looking to defend against Manchester City
After the all out defensive performance by Bournemouth last week it was Watford’s turn to sit deep and hope to catch City on the break.
They scored with their only chance on target – a free kick by Ben Foster which Nicolas Otamendi allowed Troy Deeney to flick on to Gerard Deulofeu before the Spaniard put the ball into Ederson’s net.
Both players had only just come on seconds before, with Deulofeu netting just 17 seconds
City were already 3-0 to the good so perhaps they were thinking about the forthcoming game against Schalke 04.
But Pep will be concerned about conceding from a simple set piece – Watford’s first shot on target.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 3, Watford 1
Ederson: 6. Taken by surprise for Watford’s goal.
Kyle Walker: 6. Booked early but kept his calm.
Vincent Kompany: 7. Assured in charge of the back four. Captain’s performance.
Nicolas Otamendi: 7. Went wide with a late chance and completed a few clearances against a shot shy Watford but was at fault for Watford’s goal.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6. Did well going forward as usual with one cross aimed at Sergio Aguero deflected away. Not much to do defensively.
Bernardo Silva: 7. Very dangerous and roamed around the right flank too putting in dangerous balls into the box too. Should have had a cross converted by Sergio Aguero in the first half. Might have himself scored too.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7. Relatively unmarked, he could spray passes around for City.
David Silva: 8. Saw a first half header go wide. Picked deep lying Watford apart with precise passing in the second half, creating Sterling’s hat trick goal.
Riyad Mahrez: 8. Picked at the Watford defence, creating chances, and made Raheem Sterling’s second goal with a great cross into the area.
Sergio Aguero: 7. Worked very hard. Missed a sitter of a header in the first half. His delayed pass to Sterling was deflected off the winger for the goal that broke the deadlock.
Raheem Sterling: 9. Not much change in the first half. Denied a great chance by a Daryl Janmaat tackle in the Watford area but in general found it difficult to get past Watford’s packed defence. Things changed entirely in the second half.
Leroy Sane (on for Raheem Sterling 65): 6. Dug in with defensive work as well as going forward – missed a late chance to extend City’s lead.
Gabriel Jesus (on for Sergio Aguero, 80): Too late to mark. Denied a goal by a last ditch tackle by Christian Kabasele.
Phil Foden (on for Riyad Mahrez, 90): Too late to mark
GOALS – Manchester City 3, Watford 1
Man City 1, Watford 0: 48. Controversy! Ilkay Gundogan’s long pass found Sergio Aguero, who flicked the ball towards Sterling who was in an offside position on the left but the ball took a deflection off Daryl Janmaat and off Sterling’s left shin before dropping into the net.
Man City 2, Watford 0: 50. Raheem Sterling had a tap in from 2 yard after a fast break by City, Kompany had 2 attempts to drive the ball forward before David Silva threaded it to Mahrez on the right flank. The Algerian crossed for Sterling to tap in unmarked at the back post.
Man City 3, Watford 0: 59. Raheem Sterling got his hat trick after cutting inside on his right foot, beating Janmaat and Christian Kabasele before drilling the ball in from 8 yards after a defence splitting pass by David Silva
Man City 3, Watford 1: 66. Seconds after coming on, Watford sub Troy Deeney flicks on Ben Foster’s free kick and fellow sub Gerard Deulofeu lifts the ball past Ederson into the empty net.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 3, Watford 1
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, David Silva, Mahrez (Foden 90), Aguero (Jesus , Sterling (Sane 65)
Man City Subs not used: Muric, Danilo, Laporte, Delph
Booked: Walker 5 (foul on Isaac Success)
Goals: Sterling 48. 50, 59
Watford: Foster, Janmaat, Britos (Cathcart 82), Kasbele, Masina, Capoue, Doucoure, Femenia (Deulofeu 66), Cleverley, Gray, Success (Deeney 66)
Watford Subs: Gomes, Sema, Quina, Holebas
Booked: Cleverly 18 (brought down Kyle Walker)
Goal: Deulofeu 66
Referee: Paul Tierney