SIX MINUTES FOR SERGIO TO WIN IT
Rested Aguero comes off bench to score vital goal
SERGIO AGUERO came off the bench to sink Sheffield United and show why he is irreplaceable to Pep Guardiola.
Aguero took just six minutes to make an impact with his 21st goal of the season – and seventh in his last four games – to boost Manchester City’s chances of clinching second place in the Premier League.
Guardiola’s men had endured a frustrating night until Aguero’s arrival on 67 minutes.
Gabriel Jesus had a first-half penalty saved by the impressive Dean Henderson, on loan from City’s neighbours Manchester United and tipped for a recall to the England squad.
He did his chances no harm with a string of stunning saves as Sheffield United pulled out the stops to stifle the champions.
Guardiola had made seven changes as he continued to rotate his squad, with the visitors handed a huge boost by the return of Aymeric Laporte a few weeks ahead of schedule.
Laporte, sidelined since August with damaged knee ligaments, had been a big miss for City in their failing pursuit of Liverpool at the top of the table. Aguero’s reward for his stunning purple patch was being dropped to the bench, along with Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.
The Blades made two changes, with Mo Besic coming in for Lys Mousset and Billy Sharp returning as captain.
Chris Wilder’s men might have been hosting the reigning champions, but they have been no respecters of reputation this season and they were no different with Guardiola’s men.
Jack O’Connell wiped out Raheem Sterling with a thumping challenge inside five minutes and Besic left Laporte in a crumpled heap with a tackle worthy of a red card.
Once the football started City almost took the lead on 20 minutes when Chris Basham’s blunder allowed Riyad Mahrez and Sterling to combine, but Henderson did well to palm wide Sterling’s strike.
Henderson was in the right place again on 25 minutes to keep out Nicolas Otamendi’s bicycle kick as pressure on the home side began to mount.
But there seemed no way past Henderson, who produced more brilliance on 35 minutes when diving to his right to block Jesus’ penalty after Basham had tripped Mahrez. It was Jesus’ sixth miss from the spot in his last 10 attempts.
Henderson was at it again on 61 minutes to deny Jesus once more following the Brazilian’s angled header.
The game’s turning point arrived when Oli McBurnie came within a whisker of converting Enda Stevens’ teasing cross on 72 minutes.
Just 60 seconds later City finally ended the stalemate when Kevin De Bruyne picked out Aguero with a sumptuous centre and the Argentinian did the rest with a simple finish to finally blunt the Blades.
SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Henderson 9; Basham 6 (Robinson 78), Egan 7, O’Connell 7; Baldock 7, Besic 6 (Lundstram 78), Norwood 6, Fleck 7, Stevens 7; McBurnie 7, Sharp 6 (Mousset 59, 6).
MANCHESTER CITY (3-4-3): Ederson 7; Fernandinho 6, Otamendi 7, Laporte 7 (Garcia 78); Walker 6, De Bruyne 7, Rodri 7, Zinchenko 6; Mahrez 8, Jesus 6 (Aguero 67, 7), Sterling 6 (B Silva 90).
Goal: Aguero 73.