Manchester City rode a Raheem Sterling hat-trick to win their contest against Watford in the Premier League. The reigning champions were left frustrated in the first half by a resilient display from the Hornets, but they came to their own in the second half and tore down the opposition defence and won the match by 3-1.
Raheem Sterling was on fire in the second half as he took his chances with absolute precision to get his side ahead with a hat-trick. The Hornets tried to make a comeback through a goal by Gerard Deulofeu, but it was not to be as Manchester City kept their cool to hold onto the critical three points that get them four points clear in the title race.
Here is how the Manchester City players were rated in their win against Watford.
Ederson: 7
Did not have much to do throughout the match as most of the action took place on the other end of the pitch. Was not to blame for the goal scored by Deulofeu.
Kyle Walker: 7
Ran up and down the pitch with great vigour and made some good interceptions to keep the Watford attackers at bay.
Vincent Kompany: 7
Brilliant composure from the veteran defender as he made sure to keep the opposition attackers under check. Lost to Troy Deeney’s physicality when they conceded the goal but kept the Englishman quiet for the rest of the match.
Nicholas Otamendi: 6
Could have done better to prevent Deulofeu from scoring the goal. Otherwise a decent performance from the Argentine.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6
Did well to get the ball up the field to initiate attacks. His backtracking was really loose on the night as he left acres of space for Deulofeu to capitalise on as he had a free run on the goal.
Ilkay Gundogan: 8
Brilliant composure from the German ace in the midfield. Did not let his side feel the absence of Fernandinho with his resilient display.
David Silva: 7
Another cool-headed performance from the captain. Delivered some crisp passes to set up the strikers in the danger area.
Bernardo Silva: 7
Created a lot of space for him and his teammates with his brilliant vision from the midfield. Could have had at least a couple of goals to his tally but was unlucky.
Riyad Mahrez: 6
Looked to attack whenever the opportunity was there. Looked a bit fatigued towards the end of the match.
Raheem Sterling: 9
A Man of the Match performance from the Englishman. Tormented the Watford defence with his classy footwork and accurate shot-making as he notched up a hat-trick in the first quarter of the second half. A top-notch performance from the City forward on the night.
Sergio Aguero: 7
Kept getting into channels and create open spaces to take shots. Missed a brilliant opportunity to get his side in the lead in the first half. Was substituted in the second half.
Substitutes
Leroy Sane: 6
Did well to keep the pressure on the West Ham defence with his shot making. Was inaccurate though.
Gabriel Jesus: 7
Made some intelligent runs into the danger area. Almost helped Bernardo to a goal with a pinpoint pass but Foster did well to keep the ball away.
