MAN CITY 5
BRIGHTON 0
RAHEEM STERLING became Manchester City’s second-highest Premier League goalscorer as Pep Guardiola’s men made mathematically sure of runners-up spot.
Sterling’s 63rd league goal for the club moved him ahead of Yaya Toure in the pecking order — and he then bagged his 64th and 65th for good measure.
He has a long, long way to go to haul in Sergio Aguero’s record of 180 and counting.
But, nevertheless, it is an impressive haul for a player who operates out wide rather than through the middle.
It is also proof of how hard he has worked on that area of his game since the days when his conversion rate was regularly questioned.
Sterling’s first was a sweet finish from 20 yards that he bent low past Matty Ryan in Brighton’s goal, and from the moment it left his boot, the Seagulls goalkeeper never looked like saving it.
And from the moment it hit the back of the net,
Brighton never looked like getting back into the game, either.
His second owed more to a delightful inviting cross from Riyad Mahrez than it did Sterling’s acumen in front of goal, but he still showed great hunger to get on the end of it and head home.
The third had a good deal of fortune about it as it hit Sterling’s head and bobbled over the line as Dan Burn tried in vain to clear it.
Those goals took Sterling’s total for the season to 27 in all competitions — his best return since joining City.
And the England ace (above, celebrating with Phil Foden) has reached that figure despite a 12-game drought in the middle of it.
In between Sterling’s two strikes, Gabriel Jesus stabbed home from close range after Rodri headed down Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
And following his second, Bernardo Silva got his name on the scoresheet after Ryan had spilled his initial effort and Jesus had worked it back into his path.
Poor Brighton looked like they were being hit by a wrecking ball in the opening period of the second half as City battered their defences.
To a man, Guardiola’s team were on it and as they prepare for tomorrow’s Champions League ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, this performance bore all the hallmarks of a team with a point to prove.
Brighton, on the whole, have impressed since the restart and they should be fine despite being mathematically in the relegation battle.
It’s a good job for them that there are several clubs in the mix because this sort of defeat could have knocked the stuffing out of them if they were right down at the bottom.
City started to take control of the game with 15 minutes on the clock as Benjamin Mendy’s shot deflected wide off Martin Montoya.
Eric Garcia then got the faintest of touches on Mahrez’s corner and the ball drifted wide when even a little more contact would have given Ryan all sorts of problems. Mahrez was excellent and his sweeping ball forward to Jesus was headed back into Sterling’s path for a cracking finish. Aaron Connolly had a rare sight of goal at the other end but dragged his effort wide and Leandro Trossard was wide open in City’s area but headed over.
Yet chances were few and far between as City plundered through them.
It might have been more as well.
De Bruyne’s cracking free-kick hit the outside of Ryan’s post and, when the ball was whipped back across, Sterling stuck out a leg and his close-range effort was straight at Ryan.
It didn’t matter.
The job was already well done by then.