Football news - City defeat West Ham in wake of Champions League ban
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ByEurosport
Updated 19/02/2020 at 21:43 GMT
Etihad Stadium, Premier League - Manchester City 2 (Rodri 30' De Bruyne 62') West Ham 0
Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri (C) celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 19, 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne were on target as Manchester City put their off-field troubles to one side to ease past relegation-threatened West Ham at a subdued Etihad Stadium.
City came into the game not only reeling from Uefa's two-year European suspension, but two consecutive losses without scoring.
Any suspicions they would be lacking motivation after Friday's jaw-dropping announcement were quickly put to bed, however, as Rodri broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark with his first goal in front of the City faithful, after Gabriel Jesus had spurned two gilt-edged opportunities in a dominant first half display.
Sergio Aguero had a decent case for a penalty waved away, but in the second half Kevin De Bruyne sealed the points with a fine goal to cap an impressive performance, as Man City moved four points clear of third-placed Leicester, their opponents on Saturday evening.
It proved to be a productive night for the Citizens, with returning defender Aymeric Laporte getting 60 minutes under his belt, while Benjamin Mendy completed the game.
But it was another miserable day at the office for West Ham, who failed to register a shot on target, and they remain in the bottom three, one point adrift of safety.
TALKING POINT
De Bruyne reinforces his importance to City: Many of the headlines in the aftermath of Uefa's announcement have focused on the future of Pep Guardiola and whether the Catalan will stay with the threat of a two-year suspension hanging over the club.
But whether De Bruyne sees his future in Manchester or not is arguably just as important to City's success. The Belgian has enjoyed yet another stellar season, registering 16 assists and eight goals - the most of any player in the Premier League this campaign. He was close to his brilliant best tonight, driving forward effortlessly, exploiting space in the West Ham defence and midfield and generally causing mayhem.
Liverpool's Jordan Henderson has been touted for the Player of the Season award but De Bruyne must be pushing him close.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Kevin De Bruyne (Man City): The 28-year-old is a joy to watch in such brilliant form, his corner delivery yielding the opening goal before sealing success with a well-taken goal.
PLAYER RATINGS
Man City: Ederson 5, Walker 6, Otamendi 5, Laporte 6, Mendy 7, Rodrigo 7, De Bruyne 9, D Silva 8, Bernardo 7, Jesus 5, Aguero 6.. subs: Stones 5, Gundogan N/A, Foden N/A.
West Ham: Fabianski 6, Fredericks 5, Diop 5, Ogbonna 5, Cresswell 6, Masuaku 5, Rice 7, Noble 5, Soucek 5, Snodgrass 5, Antonio 5.. subs: Zabaleta 5, Bowen N/A.
KEY MOMENTS
6' - Chance! David Silva threads the eye of a needle to unlock the West Ham defence and release Jesus. The Brazilian over complicates things by attempting to round the goalkeeper Fabianski which allows Frederick to nip in and concede the corner.
14' - Another chance for Jesus! De Bruyne passes through a crowd of bodies and finds the Brazilian, who is just about onside. Once again he hesitates and this time it's Cresswell who makes a last-ditch block to deny City an opener.
20' - No penalty! Aguero feels he is pushing held back by Ogbonna as he tries to get a shot away, but his appeals for a penalty go unheard as he is adjudged to be standing in an offside position. That's a dubious call!
30' - GOAL! Man City 1-0 West Ham (Rodri): The inevitable has happened, City lead. And it's so, so simple. A corner is delivered to the near post and Rodri scores his first goal at the Etihad with a glancing header. Laporte helped it in but the ball had already crossed the line, I think. West Ham had no one guarding the posts!
62' - GOAL! Man City 2-0 West Ham (De Bruyne): The Belgian gets the goal his controlling performance deserves! He starts the move, exchanging passes with Bernardo before darting into the box and side-footing it past Fabianski with aplomb.
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KEY STATS
- Kevin De Bruyne has had a hand in 24 Premier League goals this season (8 goals and 16 assists), three more than the closest player (Jamie Vardy, 21).
- De Bruyne has been directly involved in 151 goals in Europe's top five leagues, scoring 54 goals and assisting a further 97 for Chelsea, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and Manchester City.
- Aymeric Laporte has won 43 of his first 50 Premier League games, overtaking the record previously jointly-held by Ederson, Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba (42 wins from 50).
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