The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Record-breaker Aguero powers City back to top
Argentinian striker nets hat-trick in thrashing of Chelsea
MANCHESTER CITY 6 CHELSEA 0
Sergio Aguero scored a record-equalling hat-trick as Manchester City powered back to the top of the Premier League with a sensational 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea.
The prolific Argentinian joined Alan Shearer on 11 Premier League trebles as the champions returned to their ruthless best in a one-sided encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
Most of the damage came in a whirlwind opening 25 minutes, with Aguero hitting his first two of the afternoon between strikes from Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan.
That established Aguero as City’s record league goalscorer, surpassing the 158 goals of Eric Brook and Tommy Johnson, and he later extended his tally to 160 by completing his treble from the spot.
Sterling put the seal on the rout by adding his second 10 minutes from time.
Aguero should even have had more, having missed a sitter in the early stages and headed against the bar on a dismal afternoon for Chelsea, whose manager Maurizio Sarri headed straight down the tunnel at full-time.
While City responded in the perfect manner to Liverpool’s victory on Saturday, Chelsea looked far from the top-four side they aspire to be. The loss left them outside the Champions League places and the pressure is mounting on manager Sarri.
It was Chelsea’s heaviest defeat since losing 7-0 to Nottingham Forest in 1991.
TOTTENHAM 3 LEICESTER 1
Tottenham kept themselves in the Premier League title race with a 3-1 win over Leicester, who saw Jamie Vardy miss a penalty with his first touch of the game.
Goals from Davinson Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min inspired a fourth successive victory which ensures Spurs will finish the weekend within five points of top spot.
Vardy, who was dropped to the substitutes’ bench amid rumours of a bust-up with Claude Puel, missed the chance to equalise as his spot-kick immediately after coming on was saved by Hugo Lloris, though the former England striker atoned for it later by turning home to give his side a glimmer of hope.
But Spurs made the game safe at the death when Son scored a breakaway goal, which gave them a 20th win of the campaign and kept them hot on the heels of title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.
For Leicester it was a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions and the pressure continues to mount on Puel, who will have questions to answer about Vardy’s omission.
l Liverpool answered their growing band of sceptics with a convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth to return to the top of the table and send an unequivocal message they can handle the pressure of a title race, with goals from Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mo Salah.
Anthony Martial’s fine solo goal and a Paul Pogba brace secured Manchester United’s 3-0 win away at Fulham and propelled the Old Trafford side into the top four for the first time since the opening weekend of the season.