Man City stoked after seven-goal brilliance
Wood scores against Reid
Manchester City opened up a twopoint lead over their neighbours Manchester United at the top of the Premier League yesterday, thanks to another display of scintillating brilliance in a 7-2 thrashing of Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium.
After the earlier high noon showdown between Liverpool and a United side lacking in any great ambition ended in goalless stalemate at Anfield, City cashed in with a third straight league match at the Etihad in which they have struck at least five goals.
Pep Guardiola’s men became the first team to net 29 goals in their first eight league games of a top-flight campaign in England since Everton 1894-95.
Their sixth consecutive league win moved them to 22 points with United on 20 and Tottenham Hotspur staying third on 17 after finally earning their first home win at Wembley Stadium, 1-0 over Bournemouth with a Christian Eriksen goal.
Sensation of the day came at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace, hitherto without a goal and point to their name, downed champions Chelsea 2-1 with Wilfried Zaha, returning from injury, their hero thanks to a brilliant goal just before the break.
Palace’s new manager Roy Hodgson celebrated his first win in charge as the home side finally got in the scoresheet - a Cesar Azpilicueta own goal had given them an early lead before Tiemoue Bakayoko equalised - after 731 minutes without a league goal.
Yet the defeat left Chelsea nine points behind leaders City, whose current brand of kaleidoscopic football now makes them odds-on favourites to regain the title they last won in 2014.
Gabriel Jesus, with a brace, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva all found the target All Whites striker Chris Wood’s headed late goal earned Burnley a 1-1 draw against Winston Reid’s
West Ham United in the clash of the Kiwis in the English Premier League.
West Ham - captained by All Whites skipper Reid - had repelled waves of Burnley attacks on yesterday until Wood struck.
The two Kiwis - team-mates a week before in the All Whites’ 2-1 loss to Japan, received yellow cards immediately after Wood’s goal after tussling as Wood attempted to retrieve the ball quickly from the back of the net.
Wood, 25, had powered onto a Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s right-
in the demolition of Stoke with the side now looking like a proper Guardiola creation.
Not for the first time this season Kevin de Bruyne was hailed the man of the match for his part in four of the goals.
City’s dazzle was a stark contrast to their neighbours’ safety- wing cross and headed home the equaliser with Reid watching on, helplessly several metres away.
The Waikato man had a chance to win the game in injury time, but his left footed shot from outside the box was off-target.
Reid’s side had held on impressively with 10 men after former England striker Andy Carroll was sent off in the 27th minute for two yellow cards in as many minutes after crude challenges on Burnley defenders.
Burnley are now unbeaten in their last six EPL games and are seventh on the table - equal, on points, with Arsenal and Liverpool.
first approach in the underwhelming Anfield game during which the only United highlight was David de Gea’s great save to deny Joel Matip.
Swansea City scored a valuable 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town, while Watford beat Arsenal 2-1 in the late match.