So City move four clear at the top. Daniel Taylor was our man in Manchester, and here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM and make sure to come back to us tomorrow lunchtime as Liverpool prepare to respond against Burnley!
And now it’s Pep’s turn! “It was almost impossible to attack them, they played so deep. It’s so difficult. But we created enough chances, and after the first goal it is easier. But the game was never over. The first goal is a debate for the referee, I don’t know. But it is easy: VAR. Ask the Premier League why it is not here. But some teams didn’t want it. I don’t want to score goals that are offside. Raheem Sterling can do better. He did not play good in the first half. But he scored three in the second, which is fantastic. But he can do better. Most of the games will be like this, tight and difficult.”
Javier Gracia is clearly frustrated, but doesn’t see the point in going off on one, live on BT Sport. “We play a very good first half. Collectively a very good performance. I think everybody has seen what happened, I never criticise the referees and I’m not going to do it either. There is position and influence, and I think it is clear. I have confidence in all of our players, I know they are able to compete with other teams. Now we have to play eight games more in the league plus a cup quarter final. It is important that they are ready. We did our best.”
Here’s Raheem Sterling, the man of the moment, talking to BT Sport! “The first half was very difficult. it was hard to break them down, they were very compact. We got the luck with the first one, and had a few more chances after that. We knew we only had 45 minutes left, and had to go for it and be more aggressive, and that’s what we did. I don’t know exactly what happened with the first goal, but I was praying and hoping, and we got some slight fortune, and we deserved it. I’m trying not just to score goals, but important goals. We’re taking it a game at a time, we’re strong contenders. Today it was really difficult, and it’ll be a difficult run-in, but now we’re going to focus on the FA Cup.”
City are on some run. That’s 16 wins in their last 18 matches in all competitions! They haven’t even been particularly impressive in their last four games, yet during that period have picked up all nine Premier League points on offer and won the first major trophy of the season! Imagine what they’re going to be like when they rediscover their top form. Dear me. As for Watford, they stay in eighth place in a battle with Wolves for that Best of Rest title.
FULL TIME: Manchester City 3-1 Watford
City move four points clear at the top! Some controversy over the opening goal, but City were fully deserving of victory, despite Watford’s spirited show. Over to Liverpool, who really need three points against Burnley tomorrow lunchtime.
90 min +4: He batters it straight into the wall, and into Kompany, making up for his error. It’s a corner, from which City break upfield in pursuit of a fourth. Foden and Jesus combine in the hope of releasing David Silva, but nothing doing.
90 min +3: Now Kompany clatters into the back of Deeney, 25 yards out, just to the left of the D. Deulofeu fancies this.
90 min +1: The first of four added minutes. Deeney wins a header on the edge of the City box. Kompany flicks Masina’s ankle, but it’s a very light brush. Watford want a penalty but the referee’s not interested.
90 min: City make their last change, withdrawing Mahrez and sending on Foden.
88 min: Sane dribbles down the left and purchases an easy corner off Janmaat. From the corner, Gundogan scores three points in the rugby-union style.
87 min: More end-to-end entertainment. A long hoick towards the City box causes a mild kerfuffle. Watford can’t get a shot away, and suddenly Sane is bowling down the left, with Jesus free on the right. A spectacular diagonal ball nearly finds the striker on the edge of the box, but Foster does very well to stride out and hack clear.
85 min: Gundogan slips Jesus free, into the area down the inside left. Jesus drops a shoulder to move in to the centre, beating Foster. He’s about to slot home with Kabasele slides in to block, a superb last-ditch challenge. The resulting corner is knocked long to Otamendi, who heads lamely wide of the right-hand post when he should have done so much better.
83 min: Foster launches another free kick long. He’s looking for Deeney. Ederson gathers and sends it back upfield towards Jesus, who nearly latches onto it on the edge of the box. But Foster gets back to gather just in time. Now that’s end-to-end football.
82 min: A final change for Watford, as Britos is replaced by Cathcart.
80 min: No goal for Aguero today, so that’s good news for Sterling with the Golden Boot in mind. Jesus comes on in his place.
79 min: Cleverley presses towards City’s box. But he loses possession and City break. Bernardo Silva tears upfield, exchanges passes with Mahrez, and nearly dinks over Foster. The keeper parries, the ball breaking to Sane on the left. Sane should probably score, but lashes wildly into the side netting.
78 min: Aguero shoots from a tight angle on the left, having been sent into space by David Silva. Foster swallows at the near post.
77 min: Walker bursts down the right and reaches the byline unchallenged. He whistles a low cross through the six-yard box. Had Sane made the run, he’d have had a simple tap-in. Britos knocks the ball out for a corner, from which very little occurs.
75 min: Deulofeu powers down the right and nearly has the shirt taken off his back by Otamendi. A free kick just to the right of the City box. Watford load the area. Otamendi makes up for the foul by powerfully heading Deulofeu’s set piece away.
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73 min: Aguero turns on the jets and dribbles down the inside-right channel, nutmegging Cleverley and then dancing past Masina, into the area. He can’t jink past Britos as well, though. Not quite Maradonaesque, but not far off either.
72 min: It’s raining heavily all of a sudden, mirroring moods in Hertfordshire and Merseyside no doubt. And yes the home fans are singing in it.
70 min: City aren’t exactly rocking after that Watford goal. A lot of possession in the midfield, taking the sting out of the game and ensuring Watford don’t gain any unnecessary momentum.
68 min: Sane blams it straight into Doucoure’s lug. The Watford man is floored, and play is immediately stopped. After some treatment, he’s good to go again.
67 min: City come straight back at Watford, Doucoure bowling David Silva to the ground. A free kick, 25 yards out. Sane fancies it.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Watford (Deulofeu 66)
How about this for an instant impact?! Foster hits a free kick long. Deeney’s first touch is a flick-on header on the edge of the box. Deulofeu’s first touch is to latch onto the knock-down, and slot the ball past Ederson and into the bottom right!
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65 min: Success and Femenia are replaced by Deulofeu and Deeney.
64 min: Sterling, having made his mark, is replaced by Sane. Very much a testimonial feel to this now.
63 min: Watford’s bubble has truly burst. They’re sitting back in damage limitation mode. That opening goal undid all of their determined first-half work in short order.
61 min: Only Sergio Aguero (18), Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane (both 17) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (16) have scored more Premier League goals than Sterling, who suddenly has 15! City aren’t just involved in a title race; they’re launching a two-pronged attack on the Golden Boot!
GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Watford (Sterling 59)
A hat-trick in 14 minutes for the irrepressible Raheem Sterling! David Silva plays a perfectly weighted ball down the inside left. Sterling burns past Janmaat, drops a shoulder to sashay his way inside past Kabasele, and dinks a lovely finish over Foster!
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58 min: Aguero continues to buzz around in menacing fashion. He’s nearly released down the inside-left channel again, but Bernardo Silva’s chip is a little bit overcooked. Goal kick.
57 min: Gundogan is bossing the game from a deep position. Now he slips Aguero free on the left with a pass down the channel, but the striker’s gone too quickly. Offside.
55 min: Gracia has just had a look at a replay of the first City goal, on a nearby tablet, and is shaking his head in annoyance. He gives a critique to a nearby official. I’m guessing we’ve not heard the last of that game-changing decision. There will be talk, you know what folk are like.
53 min: Gundogan, dropping deep, chips a ball down the middle for Sterling, who chests down in the Watford box. Foster does very well to come off his line and fingertip the ball away from Sterling, though the ball only drops to Mahrez, who smashes a first-time shot wide left of an unguarded net. Mahrez is happy to see the offside flag go up for Sterling’s initial run, though that’s a poor decision, as he was clearly level with the last defender.
52 min: On the touchline, Javi Gracia doesn’t look impressed at all. Pep isn’t particularly happy either, ranting away at Mikel Arteta about something or other, but you know what he’s like. That quickfire double’s got the Etihad bouncing, anyway, as they celebrate their position at the top of the Premier League!
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Watford (Sterling 50)
Watford are beyond livid, and they’ve failed to clear their heads. David Silva, on the edge of the box, slips the ball wide right for Mahrez, and the ball’s rolled across the face of goal for a simple tap-in. A quick two-goal blitz that’s almost certain to send City four points clear of Liverpool!
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Watford (Sterling 48)
But after a long, long, long chat between referee and linesman, it’s been given! Janmaat, sliding in behind Sterling, had knocked the ball onto the City man before he shot. So Sterling was not offside any longer ... though Janmaat had only made the challenge because Sterling was offside in the first place! Controversy there.
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45 min 40 sec: Gundogan scoops a pass down the inside-left channel. Aguero chests it down to Sterling, who curls a shot around Foster and into the net! But it’s been disallowed, because Sterling was offside.
Watford get the second half underway. No half-time changes. City won’t be worrying yet; they were goalless at the break in their last two Premier League matches, against West Ham and Bournemouth, and found a way. Plenty of time left. And on that subject, here’s JR in Illinois. “I have a theory that Ben Foster is actually a superhero. His superpower is time wasting. His powers were at their peak at West Brom under Pulis. Heck, he would even time-waste sometimes when the Baggies were losing just to show off. He’s still got plenty of strength in his abilities though. I have him averaging about 28 seconds every time he’s got his hands on the ball today. Part of his power is the way he almost always manages to escape a booking but I have to say I can’t see him escaping a card today. If he does it will be one of his most heroic performances.”
Half-time reading.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Watford
City depart to a frustrated rumble from the Etihad faithful. They’ve been all over Watford like a cheap suit, and created three superb chances to score. But they’ve all been missed, and at the break, Javi Gracia’s seven-change gamble is paying off. Expect City to turn it up after the restart, as they look to move four clear of Liverpool at the top.
45 min +1: The corner’s worked out to Mahrez, to the right of the D. He sends a rising screamer towards the top left; it’s inches over. Foster had his feet planted. He was never getting to that.
45 min: There will be one extra minute. And City will have a corner, because Aguero tears down the inside left and belts one towards the top left. Foster isn’t to be beaten at his near post, and parries round for a corner.
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44 min: Space for Gundogan just inside the Watford box on the right, released by a lovely defence-splitting pass from Mahrez. But the resulting cross is too high and too long, and easily dealt with by the visitors. A little frustration in the crowd, who will have been expecting some sort of breeze, especially when the Watford teamsheet landed.
43 min: Watford can’t get out. City are probing and probing. Doucoure does well to strip Sterling of possession, but simply hacks clear and gives the ball straight back. Watford are doing pretty well to resist, but they’re also a little fortunate that City are running out of ideas. Kompany hoicks a long pass down the middle, and it’s easy meat for Foster.
41 min: Gundogan floats one in from the left. Britos does well to nick the ball away from Aguero ... then gives it back. Another phase of City attack, and Zinchenko slips a ball down the left for Sterling. Kiko Femenia sticks out a boot to divert it out for a corner ... but the referee points for a goal kick instead. Zinchenko is beyond livid, and yaps accordingly at the referee. He’s within his rights to get annoyed by that, of course, but a referee never changes his mind.
39 min: City win a corner down the right. It’s dealt with easily by Watford. Foster boots long. The ball goes all the way through to Ederson, who witlessly returns it to the Watford keeper. Ever so slightly farcical, and the crowd don’t seem particularly impressed with either keeper. A smattering of disapproval.
37 min: A rare Watford attack. Success slips a pass into the centre from the Watford left. Cleverley tries to spin Otamendi in the box but goes over. There’s a little bit of contact from behind, but not much, and Cleverley was playing for it. The referee’s not interested at all. No penalty.
36 min: Gundogan hopes to release the overlapping Zinchenko into the box with a cute flick down the inside left, but Foster reads it brilliantly to come racing off his line and claim.
35 min: City have had seven attempts on goal. Watford none. But you know which manager will be happier right now.
33 min: City continue to probe. Watford continue to hold their shape. Then suddenly Gundogan loops a pass down the inside-left channel to release Aguero into the box! Foster makes a fine David de Gea-style save with his feet, hacking away, but the flag goes up for offside anyway. Probably just as well Foster saved that, because Aguero looked level there. A poor decision.
31 min: Foster takes a long, long, loooooooooong time to blooter a drop kick clear. He nearly pays the price for his faffing in karmic terms, as Sterling returns it with a determined dribble down the inside-right channel. Just as Sterling shapes to shoot from just inside the box, Janmaat slides in to block. What a perfectly timed tackle that was! City are getting closer and closer, though.
29 min: City really should be ahead! Bernardo Silva crosses from the right. It’s blocked, and he gets the ball back. He’s facing back upfield now, but curls a glorious first-time cross towards the far post, right onto the head of Aguero, six yards out. He has to score, but sends his downward header flashing wide left. What a miss by this relentless goalscoring genius! That’s the textbook definition of uncharacteristic, right there.
28 min: This is beginning to get really open now, and Watford are shipping chances as a result. Aguero bustles with purpose down the right. He nearly opens the visitors up. Watford swarm him and just about get the ball away. All very last-ditch.
26 min: City go back up the other end and win a corner through Bernardo Silva out on the right. From the set piece, the same player skelps a low ball in from the wing. Britos backs clear. City recycle the ball, David Silva having another go. Kabasele batters free this time. There’s a half-hearted shout by City for a hand ball, but nothing’s doing there.
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25 min: Some nice work by Janmaat down the right. Watford then switch play to Masina on the left. Masina nearly bustles his way past Walker, but the City defender holds firm.
23 min: Zinchenko fizzes a low diagonal cross through the Watford six-yard box from the left. Aguero is a toenail away from prodding home at the far post. He’d have probably been flagged offside, had he scored, but instead it’s taken a nick off a Watford boot and that’s a corner. Otamendi should do better with a header at the set piece. Then Foster again takes an age to restart the game with his goal kick, and the crowd are beginning to view him in pantomime terms. Booooo!
21 min: Watford sit back. City stroke it this way and that. There are no gaps. Aguero gets involved in a great tussle with Britos, who is sticking to him like glue, as he tries to break free down the inside-right channel. He wants a free kick, but it’s nothing more than a fair fight. The ref waves play on, much to the home crowd’s disgust.
19 min: Success attempts to break upfield, and is checked by Gundogan, who hangs out a leg. He wears the sheepish look of a man who knows he’s just got away with a booking.
18 min: Walker is cynically checked by Cleverley as he storms down the right. That’s a free kick near the Watford box, and a booking for their midfielder. Gundogan scoops the set piece into the area, but it’s punched clear confidently by Foster.
17 min: City force Foster into action for the first time, David Silva shooting from a tight angle on the left. Foster has the near post covered and parries away with a strong arm.
16 min: Gundogan tries to slip Sterling away, down the inside-left channel. But the pass is heavy and that’s out for a goal kick too. Foster takes his own sweet time over the goal kick; the referee may soon form an opinion about that.
15 min: A poor shot from distance by David Silva dribbles out for a goal kick, well to the left of the target. No early goal for City, but nobody’s panicking yet.
13 min: Space for Sterling out on the left. His cross flies out harmlessly on the right. City are beginning to push Watford back, the visitors’ challenges and clearances just that little bit more desperate.
11 min: But it’s a dangerous tactic, because Zinchenko curls a wicked cross into the Watford box from the left, forcing Kabasele to head behind for a corner. Watford deal with the set piece, though Janmaat is all over Aguero in the area. A tussle that could easily lead to the ref awarding a spot kick.
10 min: Gray makes good down the right and reaches the byline before pulling one back towards ... nobody. Ederson gathers. The visitors appear to be treating this match very much as a free hit, happy to pile forward on the few occasions they have the ball, and see what occurs.
8 min: City should be leading. Mahrez floats a delicious cross in from the right, and it drops right onto the head of David Silva. With Foster coming off his line and not getting there, Silva should score. But his header, dinked over the keeper, flashes wide. Ah hold on, Silva used his hand! He’s probably a little lucky the referee didn’t spot that, and punish him with a booking.
7 min: This makeshift Watford side are knocking it around with confidence, to be fair. Not that they’re particularly going anywhere, but they’re clipping it about nicely when they do get the ball. Which admittedly is not that often.
5 min: Success chests down a long ball on the halfway line and spins Walker, who sticks out a leg to bring him down. That’s a yellow for Walker, who has already tested the referee’s patience.
4 min: Masina stands strong with Walker and Sterling probing down the City right. That’s decent defence, and he looks to break upfield on the counter but Walker’s not having it and clips him slyly. This is quite an open game already, which might not be ideal for the visitors.
3 min: David Silva floats a pass down the inside-left channel with a hope to releasing Sterling. It’s not quite perfect, and Sterling can’t bring it down with a high boot. Foster is able to claim.
2 min: City are full of confidence, as befitting a team atop the table. Otamendi strides forward and has a crack from distance. It’s straight at Foster.
Right here ... right now ... we’re off! City get the ball rolling. And they stroke it around for a bit. Walker and Mahrez combine down the right and nearly thread the ball through to Bernardo Silva in the Watford box, but the door slams. This is already set up as attack versus defence.
The teams are out! The reigning champions Manchester City wear their famous sky blue shirts, while Watford wear their second-choice green strip. A pointless change into green shirts didn’t do Brighton any harm earlier today, though one suspects this is somewhat a bigger ask for the visiting team. We’ll be off in a couple of shakes of a lamb’s tail.
Pep is asked whether Watford’s selection was a surprise. “Yep! I expected Deeney and Deulofeu to play together because in part of the Liverpool game they were incredible together. But of course Javi has his own arguments and decisions. I guess with Gray and Success and Kiko, they will make more runs in behind and attack our space.”
Javi Gracia explains his changes to BT Sport. “We have a big and a good squad, and at this moment I could choose between 26 players. I think it’s a good moment to change. We are playing a lot of games, and I think today we need fresh legs. We have a very important game next week, and this is a good option for today and for the next game as well.”
That’s an intriguing selection by Javi Gracia. A surprise to see Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu on the bench. Is Gracia keeping Watford’s powder dry ahead of the big FA Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace next weekend? Then again, it’s not as though Deeney and Deulofeu - or Adrian Mariappa, Craig Cathcart, Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra - did the business at Anfield a couple of weeks ago. So a different approach is worth a shot. Does Gracia have something up his sleeve?
Manchester City make two changes to the starting XI named for the 1-0 victory at Bournemouth last Saturday. John Stones and Kevin de Bruyne are injured, so Vincent Kompany and Riyad Mahrez take their places.
Watford make a whopping seven changes to the team named for the last-gasp 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road last Sunday. Miguel Britos, Christian Kabasele, Adam Masina, Kiko Femenia, Tom Cleverley, Andre Gray and Isaac Success take the places of Adrian Mariappa, Craig Cathcart, Jose Holebas, Will Hughes, Roberto Pereyra, Gerard Deulofeu and Troy Deeney.
The teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, Silva, Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling.
Subs: Danilo, Laporte, Delph, Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Foden, Muric.
Watford: Foster, Janmaat, Britos, Kabasele, Masina, Capoue, Doucoure, Femenia, Cleverley, Gray, Success.
Subs: Gomes, Deulofeu, Deeney, Sema, Cathcart, Quina, Holebas.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
Having hit the front of the Premier League race at last, here’s where the reigning champions Manchester City are expected to pull away. Victory over Watford this evening - they’re 7-1 on with your local turf accountant - will see them pull four points clear of second-placed Liverpool. That’ll really put the pressure on the Reds when they host Burnley tomorrow lunchtime.
City are on a hot sequence of results, even by their own lofty standards. They’ve won 15 of their last 17 matches, and one of the other two was a goalless draw that ended with them winning a penalty shoot-out and the first silverware of the season. The aggregate score during this period: 54-8. At this point, Watford are permitted to take a deep gulp. Especially as, on their last ten visits to the blue half of Manchester, they’ve conceded three goals on six occasions, shipped four goals on another, and lost nine times. Since winning promotion in 2015, Watford have lost every match against City to an aggregate score of 22-3.
But as always in football, there is hope. Watford may be 16-1 for the win tonight, but then you’d have got similar odds for Crystal Palace at the Etihad back in December, and look what happened there. Additionally, Watford are on a decent run themselves, eighth in the Premier League, in a tussle with Wolves to end the season Best of the Rest (this apparently being a thing now). They’ve won four of their last five matches, scoring five at Cardiff and ending Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester honeymoon period after fully 92 minutes. Admittedly the one match they didn’t win during that run was a five-goal shellacking at Liverpool, but we’re trying to provide a little balance here.
Also, City aren’t quite at their best right now. They’ve only scored two goals in their last three matches, and had to show true grit to sneak results against West Ham and Bournemouth. And as much as they’ll be desperate for the three points tonight, they’ll have one eye on the visit of Schalke next week, given the Champions League is all about outlandish comebacks these days.
City should win. But it’s a free shy at the stumps for Watford, and you never know. A rout? A shock? Either way, it’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm BST.
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