Silva plays the saviour in another late City show
13th straight Premier League win reminiscent of ‘Fergie Time’
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Maybe they’ll start calling it “Pep Time.”
For the third time in a week, Manchester City left it late to secure a 2-1 victory in the Premier League, and set a record-equalling winning run stretching back to Aug. 26.
This time, it was David Silva coming to the rescue.
Taking over Raheem Sterling’s role as City’s last-gasp matchwinner, Silva prodded home a volley from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross in the 83rd minute to end the stubborn resistance of West Ham, at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Late goals are becoming a habit for City. In the past 12 days, Sterling has scored an 88th-minute winner against Feyenoord in the Champions League, and then goals in the 84th minute and the sixth minute of injury time in victories over Huddersfield and Southampton, respectively, in the league.
There was a certain inevitability about City’s winner against West Ham, just like there was when Manchester United scored so many match-clinching goals in the final minutes of Alex Ferguson’s long tenure as manager. It’s how the phrase “Fergie Time” was spawned.
“I heard about the Fergie Time,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “I was not here in that period, but of course you have to have that. What we show in the last games is we never give up.
“If we can take something about the Fergie Time, it is welcome. A pleasure.”
There’s just no stopping City, although opponents are getting closer and closer.
This was their 13th straight win in the Premier League, matching a record in a single season set previously by Chelsea (2016-17) and Arsenal (2001-02). The next milestone is 14 straight wins, which was achieved by Arsenal in 2002, but over two seasons.
The team that can stop City from matching the record is its neighbour, United. The Manchester derby is up next for City on Sunday and there are eight points separating the two rivals at the top.
“It means we have done 39 points in a row. That is a lot,” said Guardiola, whose team is yet to lose in any competition this season. “You see how they run and how they fight, that’s why we are so proud again.”
Just like against Huddersfield and Southampton, City’s players had to pick their way through a packed defence to keep the winning run going.
West Ham had nine outfield players in a bloc outside its area and saw set-pieces as its best way of troubling City at the other end. That was the source of its goal in the 44th minute, Angelo Ogbonna heading in Aaron Cresswell’s cross following a short-corner routine.
Nicolas Otamendi scrambled in the equalizer in the 57th and City piled on the pressure before De Bruyne sent over a perfectly weighted cross that Silva volleyed in on the stretch.
David Moyes is still to register a win in four matches since taking over as manager of West Ham, which is in next-to-last place.
“I really want the football to be attacking,” Moyes said, “but we are playing against a team that we can hardly get the ball (off), so what are you going to do?” Bournemouth 1, Southampton 1 Charlie Austin underlined his reputation as one of the Premier League’s most clinical finishers by grabbing Southampton’s equalizer.
Austin has had injury problems and also played second fiddle to Manolo Gabbiadini in the early part of this season. Yet he now has seven goals in his last 10 league starts for Southampton stretching back to last season, and has scored on both of his starts this season, having netted twice against Everton last weekend.
Bournemouth went ahead through Ryan Fraser in the 42nd minute at Vitality Stadium.
Southampton moved up to 11th place and Bournemouth up to 14th.