Published 15:09 IST, September 22nd 2019
Manchester City hammer opponents Watford 8-0 at the Etihad Stadium
In a brilliant display of footballing prowess, Pep Guardiola led Manchester City hammered away at Watford FC. City's Kevin De Bruyne named Man of the Match.
In a brilliant display of footballing prowess, Pep Guardiola led Manchester City hammered away at Watford FC. Pep Guardiola side manage to thump five goals past struggling Watford in 18 minutes at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on September 21. The game ended 8-0 with veteran Midfielder David Silva opened up the scoring for the ‘The Citizens’ in the first minute of the game.
Man City versus Watford, goals scored:
Pep Guardiola's side rips Watford to pieces:
Man City’s captain Sergio Aguero doubled up the score with a cooly shot penalty in the seventh minute. Inspired by Bernardo Silva's hat-trick, Pep Guardiola's side ripped woeful Watford to pieces at the Etihad Stadium, eclipsing a 7-0 success against Norwich in 2013 which stood as their previous biggest top-flight win.
Although City fell one goal short of equalling the biggest Premier League margin of victory -- Manchester United's 9-0 demolition of Ipswich in 1995 -- their swaggering display was the perfect way to erase the bitter taste from last weekend's shock 3-2 defeat at Norwich.
City moves within two points of table-toppers Liverpool
Second-placed City moves to within two points of leaders Liverpool, who face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. "When you shoot on target five times for five goals -- the quality of players we had made the difference," Guardiola said. "What I like the most is normally when it's 5-0 at half time the second half is not serious, it's boring but we did the opposite and we were more aggressive and made a very good second half. People still don't understand, journalists, pundits, former players, losing games is part of life. We can lose the games but the important thing is the approach and how we react," Guardiola added.
Man City had crushed Watford 6-0 in last season's FA Cup final and they picked up where they left off at Wembley with a goal inside the first minute at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne played a superb ball in from the right, leaving David Silva with the simple task of poking home from close range for his first goal of the season. City were rampant and they made it three in the 12th minute when Mahrez's free-kick hit Watford's Tom Cleverley in the head and deflected past Foster.
City established the fastest 5-0 lead
Astonishingly, City scored again in the 15th minute, De Bruyne's corner nodded on by Nicolas Otamendi for Bernardo to head home. By the time Otamendi finished off Aguero's cross in the 18th minute, City had established the fastest 5-0 lead in the Premier League era.
The joint biggest half-time lead in Premier League history wasn't enough for City and Bernardo struck again with a close-range finish after another flowing move in the 48th minute. Bernardo completed his first Premier League treble on the hour with a tap-in from De Bruyne's cross. De Bruyne set City's new record mark in the Premier League when the Belgium midfielder scored the eighth in the 85th minute.
Bernardo Silva is extremely happy for his first hat-trick:
(Inputs from PTI)
Updated 16:47 IST, September 22nd 2019