Gabriel Jesus scored four goals while Rodri hit a screamer as Manchester City edged four points clear of Liverpool with a 5-1 victory over Watford.
The striker notched twice in each half while Hassane Kamara found the net after a rare attack for the away side. The north-west giants sent a message to the Reds that they can cope with the pressure ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby. City manager Pep Guardiola made six changes from the side that beat Brighton 3-0 on Wednesday.
Ruben Dias came off the bench for the second half against the Seagulls and was given the nod at the Etihad. Oleksandar Zinchenko started at left-back, with Fernandinho also back in the starting XI. Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish also returned for the Citizens.
Watford chief Roy Hodgson opted to make three changes from the side beaten by Brentford last weekend. Right-back Jeremy Ngakia, midfielder Tom Cleverley and striker Joshua King were back in the fold.
City began the match one point clear of Liverpool. Guardiola stated after the Albion triumph that his charges needed to win all their remaining games to stave off the Reds threat.
And they were quickly out of the traps, with Jesus giving the hosts the lead in just the fourth minute. Joao Cancelo’s cross found Zinchenko, whose return from the left picked out Jesus, leaving the Brazilian to steer home from close range.
Unsurprisingly, City dominated possession but had to be wary of Watford on the counter. Zinchenko was forced to work hard to prevent Emmanuel Dennis and Moussa Sissoko engineering a chance on goal.
But the visitors were forced to live off scraps and it was no surprise when City doubled their advantage on 23 minutes. Kevin de Bruyne’s superb cross found Jesus and the 25-year-old made no mistake with a powerful header.
City rocked as Watford hit back
Watford are struggling at the wrong end of the standings but they were soon back in the contest thanks to Kamara’s first goal for the club. Excellent link-up play…
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