 |
| Man City slicker: David Silva scored one and assisted two other goals as Pep Guardiola’s men put on a superb display at the Etihad |
David Silva scored one goal and made two more as Manchester City put on a passing masterclass to overwhelm Newcastle United with a 5-0 Premier League victory on Wednesday.
Gabriel Jesus put the home side ahead in the 10th minute, stabbing home Silva’s clever pass, and Riyad Mahrez made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when Kevin De Bruyne pulled the ball back for him to sweep home from the penalty spot.
Things went from bad to worse for Newcastle in the second half when Matt Ritchie’s last-ditch attempt to dispossess Jesus hit fellow defender Federico Fernandez and flew into the goal to put City 3-0 up.
Silva got himself on the scoresheet in the second half, stroking home a beautiful free-kick from the edge of the box in the 66th minute before setting up substitute Raheem Sterling for a simple goal in stoppage time to make it 5-0.
Elsewhere, West Ham United’s hopes of climbing clear of the Premier League relegation zone suffered a blow as a Jay Rodriguez header gave Burnley a 1-0 win at the London Stadium.
The Hammers are in 16th place on 31 points, just four points above 17th-placed Aston Villa who have a game in hand.
The winner came in the 38th minute when Charlie Taylor whipped in a cross from the left and Rodriguez’s glancing header flew in off the underside of the crossbar.
Michail Antonio missed a great chance to level moments later when he found himself one-on-one with Nick Pope but struck the outside of the post.
Sean Dyche’s Burnley, who are in ninth place on 49 points, had an effort from substitute Chris Wood ruled out in the 76th minute for offside and held on to pick up their third win in their last four games.
John Egan’s stoppage-time header earned Sheffield United a dramatic 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane meanwhile.
In the pouring South Yorkshire rain, both sides were evenly matched in the first half, with Ruben Neves coming closest to scoring for Wolves when one of his trademark free-kicks hit the crossbar and went over the top
.
Veteran Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp did have the ball in the net early in the second half, but he was ruled offside, and George Baldock timed his run into the penalty area to perfection but headed just wide.
Wolves never really hit top gear and did not have a shot on target in the second half, but they looked to have done enough to secure a point.
However, deep into stoppage time, Egan climbed highest to head home the winner from a corner and spark jubilant scenes on the Blades’ bench.
A second home win since the return of the Premier League moved Sheffield United up to seventh in the standings, above Arsenal, and within a point of Wolves in sixth.
REUTERS
