The Blues stepped out at Swansea`s Liberty Stadium determined to ensure that there were to be no slip-ups against the team propping up the rest of the division. Although Guardiola rang in a couple of changes to ensure additional sharpness for more difficult tasks yet to arrive, it could be argued that the introduction of Danilo, Bernardo and Mangala, didn`t really weaken the starting eleven, even if it did mean that Sane, Walker and Kompany were the ones replaced. Kompany appears to be on one of his injury stints again, which should ensure that Pep knocks on a couple of doors to secure a new central defender once the transfer window opens. Generally this has been City`s achilles heel, but there is no doubt that along with the vast improvement we have seen in John Stones, Mangala is now starting to step up to the challenge.
With the rest of the team as predicted City set themselves off to become the first English team to win 15 matches in a row and see off the all-comers, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and the Stretfords in that department.
The start looked a bit sluggish but soon enough the attacking half of the team were turning the screw on the Swans and the chances started to appear. Fabianski was a busy man and trying his best to keep his side alive. Aguero was once again profligate and De Bruyne, Sterling and David Silva all went close before just ahead of the midway point of the half when Bernardo Silva`s ball into the box confused the defenders and the net minder and allowed David Silva to once again be “Johnny-on-the-spot” and prod the ball past the luckless Swansea goalkeeper.
If the difference in their table positions looks one of long-distance, it looked even further once City had gone in front and it wasn`t long before a free kick out on the left allowed De Bruyne to double the lead. His right-foot shot flew past the wall and with Otamendi taking a diagonal run across the face of goal, Fabianski saw it all too late and the ball went in the far corner.
The work for the night was pretty much over for City. It was extremely unlikely that a Swansea team struggling for any type of form was going to overturn a deficit of 2-0 against the league`s top scorers and meanest defence, even if the defence is known for giving you a chance.
The 2-0 lead at the break could have been anything more had it not been for a couple of good saves from the former Arsenal man and poor efforts from City`s frontmen.
Immediately after the break a neat one-two with Aguero should have put Silva in but his shot was off target and Fabianski could breathe again. But as I keep saying the ten minutes after the break is City time and once again they proved the theory right.
Again it was magic man Silva. I`ve often wondered why he scores almost every time he plays for Spain, but not when he plays for City, where his penchant for changing feet and passing to someone else seems to take priority and loses him chances. This time it was once again a piece of genius. Silva found the smallest of eyelets to play the ball into Sterling and keep running. Sterling responded back to Silva and the Magician of Manchester tip-toed between the Swansea defenders and slipped the ball into the net. Brilliant!
City continued to rack up enough chances to have given them double figures but the chances went for the begging and the scoreboard stayed the same.
It still wasn`t over. Sergigol had been trying all night to improve his figures but it looked like another of those nights for him where nothing would go according to plan. With Yaya now on the field, giving the fantastic Fernandinho some rest time, he delivered one of his trade mark straight passes forward to Aguero who had come deep so that he was facing the goal and from this position he is a different animal. Collecting Yaya`s pass he set off for goal with half the opposition eleven still between him and the goal. His turn of pace caught them unawares and Augero drifted just enough away to open up the far post area and slam home a trade-mark Aguero goal. Absolute quality and it lets him off the hook for chances unconverted as he notched off another in his continuation of being City`s top scorer of all time.
The score of 4-0 was really a canter for City. It is said that if City were to take all their chances in one match they will score ten against someone. Tonight that could easily have happened. The chances rained in, the goals didn`t, at least at the same ratio. But with the Stretfords struggling to beat Bournemouth 1-0, needing at least half a dozen top quality saves by De Gea, especially near the end, City`s eleven point lead over the Stretfords looks like Everest. It can be done, it has been done so this writer will not get himself carried away. But another outscoring of those ghastly creatures from Sold Trafford banks another plus-three in the goal difference column.
Further afield, poor Susan had to suffer another night of inactivity as double-decker merchants West Brom held her dear Liverpool to a sad 0-0 draw provoking another evening of vernacular in the leafy suburbs of Crosby. The real Reds have let themselves and their fans down over the last few days by not taking advantage of two poorer positioned teams at their home stadium and Sue is determined that the blame lies firmly at the door of Jurgen Klopp and his almost unnecessary tinkering with the line-up. The four points they have blown would have seen them on a par with Chelsea and more or less left Spuds behind.
On the subject of Spuds, they are next at the Etihad over the weekend and are one of those we owe one to. They filtched a draw last season clawing back a 2-0 deficit and then got lucky with De Jesus “winner” chalked off for offside. It will be an interesting encounter.
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