Guardiola’s Citizens too good for Pochettino’s Lilywhites
● Kevin de Bruyne produced another virtuoso performance as Manchester City crushed Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 yesterday to register a record-extending 16th consecutive Premier League victory.
The Belgian maestro scored City’s second goal, after Ilkay Gundogan had opened the scoring, and Raheem Sterling added two more in a thumping win that provisionally sent Pep Guardiola’s men 14 points clear at the summit.
Victory embellished the record for consecutive English league wins City had set in Wednesday’s 4-0 win at Swansea City and the breathtaking manner of it was further evidence of their apparent invincibility.
Guardiola, who also saw substitute Gabriel Jesus miss a penalty, has equalled the run of 16 straight league wins he engineered with the great Barcelona team that won a La Liga and Champions League double in 2011.
He is now three wins short of his own record for Europe’s five major leagues, set with Bayern Munich in 2013/14.
Spurs were left to lick their wounds after a fifth defeat of the campaign — one more than in the entirety of last season — which sent them down the table to seventh.
It could have been worse for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who replied through Christian Eriksen, had referee Craig Pawson not shown only yellow cards to Harry Kane and Dele Alli for two ugly second-half fouls.
The absence of David Silva due to what City described as “personal reasons” opened the door for Gundogan and the German midfielder seized the opportunity by scoring his first goal of the season in the 14th minute.
Leroy Sane fired in a corner from the left with pace and dip and with Spurs distracted by Fernandinho’s near-post charge, Gundogan stole in unmarked to send a stooping header past Hugo Lloris.
Pochettino had opted for a midfield diamond in a bid to deny City space in the middle of the pitch, but De Bruyne still found room to spring his team forwards with trademark piercing passes.
The visiting Lilywhites gave the Citizens only one moment of discomfort in the first half, Kane shaping a shot fractionally wide from the edge of the box.
Peripheral in the first half, Kane became a central figure early in the second as a firedup Spurs tried to make a fist of it. He was fortunate to be shown only yellow after catching Sterling high on the calf.
City almost had reason to rue Pawson’s leniency when Kane took aim from 23m and Ederson had to leap to his right to touch the ball behind.
Eager to give Spurs something to think about at the other end, Guardiola sent on Jesus for Sergio Aguero, who tossed his gloves to the ground in disgust as he went off.
Sterling finally got a goal in the 80th minute, finishing off a slick move involving De Bruyne, Gundogan and Sane, and walked in City’s fourth.
Eriksen’s stoppage-time strike offered scant consolation. — AFP