WATFORD, England (Reuters) – Reigning champions Manchester City claimed top spot within the Premier League for the primary time this season as Bernardo Silva scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Watford on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling’s early header paved the way in which to a comfortable win for Pep Guardiola’s aspect who made essentially the most of morning leaders Chelsea’s earlier 3-2 defeat at West Ham United.
Silva fired in from a decent angle within the thirty first minute and put City in cruise management simply previous the hour mark when he curled a pleasant effort into the top nook.
In fact City’s successful margin ought to have been larger towards a struggling Watford aspect who got some late hope when Cucho Hernandez pulled a purpose again.
City’s fifth successive league win lifted them to 35 factors from 15 video games, one level forward of Liverpool and two in entrance of Chelsea in what’s shaping as much as be a three-way title tussle.
The sight of Guardiola’s City hitting the top within the run-up to Christmas will ship shivers via their rivals.
Once they climbed to the summit final season in January they marched off into the gap, though this time the type of Liverpool suggests they won’t have issues all their very own approach.
“It’s nonetheless the start, we’re not even midway via and there’s a lot of laborious work to do,” Silva, who’s City’s shock main league scorer with seven targets, stated.
“It’s at all times higher to be top of the league than second, third or fourth, but it surely’s so shut — Liverpool are only one level behind us, Chelsea are two factors behind us.
“But we’re in good kind and we need to preserve it that approach.”
LONG NIGHT
It was solely a fortnight in the past that Claudio Ranieri’s aspect put Manchester United to the sword at Vicarage Road.
But they barely received a kick within the first half towards City.
Once Sterling was given the liberty of the penalty space to go in Phil Foden’s cross after 4 minutes it at all times appeared like being an extended evening for the hosts.
Jack Grealish might have had a hat-trick earlier than halftime as he wasted a number of wonderful possibilities however Silva quickly confirmed him find out how to discover the again of the web.
The Portuguese playmaker’s astute move arrange an opportunity for Ilkay Gundogan whose shot was saved by Daniel Bachmann however because the ball got here out Silva was alert to drill a low shot into the web from an acute angle.
His second was a factor of magnificence. Taking a move from Kyle Walker on the precise, Silva lower inside Danny Rose and curled a shot into the top nook with virtually nonchalant ease.
City switched off barely to permit Hernandez to attain after his shot got here again off the publish, but it surely was a minor hiccup on a completely satisfying day.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
