City masterclass without De Bruyne rings alarm bells for everyone else

MANCHESTERCITY 6 HUDDERSFIELD 1

SIX goals, an utterly dominant display and the ominous threat of more commanding wins to come.

Manchester City returned to the Etihad as reigning Premier League champions yesterday and ended the day back on top of the table, having laid waste to a poor and often calamitous Huddersfield Town.

This was City’s first outing since news of Kevin De Bruyne’s threemonth lay-off with a knee injury, but they showed no signs of missing their most influential player.

Sergio Aguero’s ninth Premier League hat-trick, alongside Gabriel Jesus and David Silva strikes and a Terence Kongolo own goal, had De Bruyne applauding from the stands at full-time, crutches close to his side.

City were helped by an erratic showing from Huddersfield goalkeeper Ben Hamer, who spent the last four years as a reserve at Leicester City and has now conceded nine times in two games.

Hamer will be disappointed with his role in City’s first three goals. All three were easily preventable.

Such was the disparity between these two sides, however, even a goalkeeper at the very top of his game could not have prevented defeat. Huddersfield spoiled City’s coronation on this ground back in May, claiming a crucial point for their survival bid. There was little sign of such resilience three months on and this limp display may cause early anxiety about the campaign ahead.

Huddersfield almost made the worst possible start after just two minutes when Steve Mounié sliced an attempted clearance towards his own goal and onto the top of his own crossbar. Jesus spurned two presentable opportunities in a short, frantic period of City pressure that followed.

Gradually, the visitors gained their composure and slowed the rate of City’s attacks, but with Pep Guardiola’s side patiently dominating the ball in enemy territory, it became a question of when their breakthrough would come, not if.

Hamer’s first error of the afternoon gifted them it. Ederson, Hamer’s opposite number, was the architect, picking Aguero’s diagonal run out brilliantly from a goal-kick. Christopher Schindler held Aguero (left) up but Hamer’s decision to rush off his line left City’s all-time leading scorer with more than enough space to

aim at. One goal up, numbers two and three quickly followed and Benjamin Mendy was key to both.

One typical, surging run down the left from his own half and a neat one-two put him in on goal, only to be dispossessed. Jesus followed up immediately, beating a poorly-positioned Hamer at the near post.

Four minutes later, a low cross from Mendy’s wicked left foot proved too much for Hamer to handle.

In attempting to collect the ball, he instead spilt it, providing Aguero with a chance to add his second of the afternoon. The Argentine would make no such mistake.

“We want 10,” chanted the Etihad, perhaps requesting a repeat of City’s 10-1 victory in this fixture in 1987, which remains Huddersfield’s record league defeat.

Helpfully, Huddersfield soon got their one. Jon Stankovic, who spent last season sidelined through injury, tapped in Mounié’s flick-on from Philip Billing’s throw-in.

It was the travelling support’s turn to make their voices heard, promising to “win 4-3” but the excellent Silva rendered that scoreline an impossibility at the start of the second half with an expertly-taken free-kick whipped into Hamer’s top left-hand corner.

For Silva, this was a goal to mark not only his 250th league appearance for City but the first witnessed in the flesh by his eight-month-old son Mateo, who was born prematurely midway through last season.

Guardiola granted Silva time off as and when to care for his partner and child. With every majestic display, Silva seems determined to repay his manager.

Aguero completed his hat-trick a quarter-of-an-hour from time with a deft touch. Again, Mendy was the provider but this time, the cross fell a little awkwardly for its intended target. No matter. Aguero stabbed the ball into the ground with the outside of his boot, sending it spinning backwards, around Hamer’s outstretched hand.

There was still time for another. Leroy Sané, Aguero’s late replacement, darted through on goal from the left flank, hoping to add his name to the scoresheet, but his poke at goal was blocked by Hamer’s body. Kongolo could not get out of the way in enough time and inadvertently diverted the ball in. (© Independent News Service)