LONDON: Champions Manchester City roared back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday as they hammered bottom side Watford 8-0 to close the gap at the top of the table. Bernardo Silva scored a hat-trick while David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi, Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne got the others. The result was City’s biggest ever Premier League win and lifted them to within two points of Liverpool, who play at Chelsea on Sunday. “I think the first 30 minutes was unbelievable,” said Bernardo Silva,who scored his first senior hat-trick. “After (losing at) Norwich (last weekend) it was good to give our fans the three points and a good performance.”
Leicester are third after a 2-1 win over Tottenham while newly-promoted Sheffield United and Burnley also claimed victories.
The champions were ahead within a minute at the Etihad and 5-0 up inside the first 18 minutes.
David Silva opened the scoring after being set up by De Bruyne and Aguero doubled their lead six minutes later, scoring from the penalty spot after goalkeeper Ben Foster brought down Mahrez.
Mahrez extended the lead four minutes later, Bernardo Silva added a fourth (12) and Otamendi (18) made it 5-0.
Watford stemmed the flow for a while but Bernardo Silva got his second early in the second half and completed his hat-trick on the hour mark. De Bruyne put the icing on the cake with a stunning strike for City’s eighth goal five minutes from time.
“I think we let ourselves down today and the fans a bit,” goalkeeper Foster said.
“We didn’t do our job today. We have to take some positives but that’s football. You have to clean yourselves up, move onto the next one.”
Leicester are third after they came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 in the early kick-off.
Harry Kane put Spurs in front on 29 minutes and the visitors had a goal ruled out for offside that would have made it 2-0.
Leicester equalised through Ricardo Pereira on 69 minutes and James Maddison fired home the winner with five minutes to go. “It was a very important three points,” Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said, as his side ended the day third. “A brilliant team performance. (It’s) very early days, we have had a tough start,” he said. — DPA
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