Sane shining for pushy Pep
an average of three and a half a game – but Guardiola says there is room for improvement.
He was furious at the slow pace of their early play as they struggled to break down Palace until Sane made the breakthrough just before half-time.
Guardiola even had a friendly word in the ear of a ball boy to tell him to throw the ball back quicker – but kicked his dug-out chair in exasperation as the whistle went for the break.
City upped the tempo and ran riot in the second half, in which Raheem Sterling scored two tap-ins, Sergio Aguero moved to within a goal of equalling Eric Brook’s 177-goal record for the club and substitute Fabian Delph came on to curl home the best strike of the game. Meanwhile, with Palace facing a trip to Manchester United next Saturday and then a home game against Chelsea, Roy Hodgson says it could get worse before it gets better for his beleaguered side. The former England manager was being realistic rather than pessimistic when he said: “There’s a risk that United and Chelsea will also be as capable as City have been. They will punish us if we don’t get things right. “It’s not a question of words now, it’s a question of actions. For me and my coaching staff, watching City play in the second half, even at 2-0 up, some of the things they were doing off the ball was a good lesson for our players. We can say ‘Listen, if they’re doing that hard work with the talent they’ve got, there’s no excuse for you not doing it’.”
To pile on his problems, Palace striker Christian Benteke limped off with a knee ligament injury. He will be scanned but is already out of the trip to Old Trafford.
If there was a positive for Palace as they slumped to a sixth straight league defeat without a goal, it was their first-half performance.
But if they are to perform what is already looking a great escape, Hodgson has to work on replicating that determination and discipline for the whole 90 minutes.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Booked: CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Booked: Goals: NEXT UP: