Man City closes in on leader Liverpool
MANCHESTER: Three second half goals gave Manchester City a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium here on Saturday.
The thumping victory ensured holder City climbed back into second place behind leader Liverpool. City struggled to get going in the first half, with Villa having several chances to break the deadlock in the pouring Manchester rain. However, the home side wasted no time after regrouping at the interval.
Raheem Sterling latched on to a Gabriel Jesus flick before firing City in front 20 seconds into the second half. Jesus then almost grabbed a quick-fire second, but Tyrone Mings cleared the ball off the line. Midfielder David
Silva found the net again in the 65th minute, getting the faintest of touches to a Kevin De Bruyne cross.
Five minutes later, Ilkay Gundogan made sure of another three points for City after he reacted first to a blocked shot, scissor-kicking his strike into the net.
The result sees City climb back above Leicester City (20) with 22 points. Liverpool, which hosts Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, has 25. The win, however, was tarnished by a late red card for Fernandinho, who operated in central defence.
Lys Mousset’s second goal in as many games earned Sheffield United a 1-1 draw at West Ham United. Defender Lucas Digne’s own goal deep into stoppage time completed a superb comeback for Brighton & Hove Albion, which defeated Everton 3-2.
Watford’s winless run since the start of the PL campaign stretched to 10 games as it played out a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth.
Bayern back on top
Robert Lewandowski scored for a league-record ninth consecutive Bundesliga match as Bayern Munich scraped past promoted Union Berlin 2-1 to reclaim top spot.
Lewandowski, who has scored in every competitive game in the league, Champions League and German Cup this season for a total of 19 goals, netted his 13th league goal in the 53rd minute.