Source: Daily_Mail
Manchester City 4 West Brom 0: Sergio Aguero kick-starts title bid
Just when we thought it was all over, somebody decided to turn back time. Just when they appeared to have thrown away the Barclays Premier League, Manchester City woke up and remembered they are a pretty decent side. [LNB]It may still be too late, of course. City's great foes from Old Trafford remain favourites to win this championship. But after the horrors of Stoke, Sunderland and Arsenal, Roberto Mancini's team reverted to type and brushed West Bromwich aside without breaking sweat. [LNB]As City ambled to victory, there was even a goal for Carlos Tevez to mark his first start since September. That came on the hour after Sergio Aguero - a rather more reliable South American striker - had scored in either half to put them two goals up. [LNB] Power Sergio: Manchester City striker Aguero (left) celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the game[LNB]MATCH FACTS MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): Hart 6; Richards 7, Kompany 6, Lescott 6, Clichy 6; Nasri 7, De Jong 6, Barry 6, Silva 7 (Zabaleta 81min); Tevez 6 (Johnson, 63, 6), Aguero 8 (Dzeko 74, 6). [LNB]Subs not used: Pantilimon, Kolarov, Milner, Pizarro.[LNB]Scorers: Aguero 6, 54, Tevez 61, Silva 64.[LNB]WEST BROMWICH (4-5-1): Foster 6; Jones 5, Dawson 6, Olsson 6, Shorey 5; Cox 5, Andrews 5, Mulumbu 5 (Fortune 68, 6), Scharner 6, Dorrans 5 (Tchoyi 78); Long 6. [LNB]Subs not used: Daniels, McAuley, Odemwingie, Hurst, Roofe.[LNB]Man of the match: Sergio Aguero.[LNB]Referee: Kevin Friend 7.[LNB]Attendance: 46,746. [LNB]West Brom were quite wretched but credit City for taking advantage. They showed no mercy, David Silva scoring the fourth with 25 minutes to go. [LNB]With Mario Balotelli suspended after his afternoon of madness at the Emirates, it was clear that Mancini would have to change things up front. Tevez's contribution since returning from his self-imposed exile had been restricted to cameos from the bench. Here, at last, was his first real chance to show City what they have been missing. [LNB]City, perhaps feeling less pressure after United had opened what seemed like a title-winning lead, played much better football during the first half-hour. West Bromwich have been no mugs this season but couldn't get near the ball for much of the first half. [LNB]Aguero, who didn't look himself afterreturning from injury on Sunday, seemed to find the rhythm of this gamemuch more quickly and worried the West Brom defence with a direct run in the second minute.[LNB][LNB] No stopping that: Aguero (left) blasts home his first goal after just six minutes at the Etihad Stadium[LNB] [LNB] Cool finish: Aguero tucks in the second goal shortly into the second half[LNB]On that occasion his shot was blocked but within four more minutes he had scored the game's first goal and the 25th of his debut City season. [LNB]Once again Aguero drove from deep but this time he advanced from a more central position. Sensing that West Brom had backed off a little, he let fly with a low right-foot shot that zipped across goalkeeper Ben Foster and into his right-hand corner. [LNB] [LNB] Made in Argentina: Carlos Tevez puts City out of sight with the third goal on the night[LNB] [LNB] All is forgiven: Former outcast Tevez (left) salutes the crowd after grabbing another goal in City colours[LNB] Almost immediately, it was possible to sense the tension lift a little at the Etihad. City began to play some enterprising football and the only surprise was that it didn't immediately yield more goals. [LNB]Tevez shot wildly over from 18 yards in the 12th minute when a little more composure was required before Silva - back after a one-game rest - drilled a shot into Foster's midriff from an angle, with the former England goalkeeper doing well to hang on. [LNB]West Bromwich were not a threat in the first half at all. One low cross from the right fizzed across the front of Joe Hart's goal but that was about it. At the other end, Roy Hodgson's team had captain Jonas Olsson to thank for being only one goal down at the break. [LNB] [LNB] We have lift off: David Silva lifts a delightful finish over Ben Foster's head for City's fourth goal[LNB] [LNB] Wing wizard: Spain midfielder Silva celebrates his superb goal against West Brom[LNB]Tevez produced the pass of the night in the 30th minute to play full-back Micah Richards clear on goal. The 23-year-old managed to take the ball past Foster but his goalbound shot was cleared from the line by Olsson with the help of his chest. [LNB]With United drawing at Wigan at half-time, City began the second period sensing they may be about to see a chink of light in the title race. Within a couple of minutes they came close to adding a second goal as Silva crossed from the right and Samir Nasri, who had been quiet until then, volleyed into the side netting from an angle. [LNB] Over the top: Micah Richards (top) challenges West Bromwich's Nicky Shorey in the air[LNB] [LNB] Crowded out: Argentina striker Tevez runs at the beleaguered West Brom defence [LNB]Silva then played a ball through the middle towards the breaking Gareth Barry only for it to ricochet up and strike West Brom's Billy Jones. The City fans appealed for a penalty but referee Kevin Friend was unmoved. [LNB]Then news of a goal for Wigan filtered through and that was soon followed by City's second of the night. Once again Aguero was the scorer, moving on to a pass from Nasri to score across Foster with his right instep. [LNB] Job well done: City manager Roberto Mancini (right) shakes hands with Tevez[LNB]As the Poznan goal celebration briefly returned to the Etihad - the supporters here haven't done it for a while - City moved through the gears, Nasri breaking down the left to shoot across goal and inches wide. [LNB]By now West Brom had fallen apart and Aguero set up Tevez to shoot into the top left-hand corner for the third before releasing Silva, who darted down the left and chipped Foster sublimely to add the fourth goal.[LNB] [LNB] [LNB] UEFA farce as Man City fined ?25,000 for being ONE minute late for kick-off that's ?8,000 more than Porto's fine for racially abusing Balotelli!Forget blunders, Premier League refs are best in Europe, says HodgsonCity mull humbling guard of honour should United wrap up title ahead of Etihad clashAll the latest Manchester City news, features and opinionAll the latest West Brom news, features and opinion[LNB] MOST READ NEWSPrevious123NextSo why did stunning teenager fall to her death during police...That'll show her: Man who sold everything on eBay after wife...'I fell to my knees when I saw her': Mother finds...Millions breathe sigh of relief after tsunami alert is...How low can she go? Rooney hooker has one night stand with...Watch out! 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Please read our House Rules.I agree to the House RulesRemember me - this will save you having to type out your name and location when you next leave a comment.For information about privacy and cookies please read our Privacy Policy.TermsClearSubmit ContentBingSiteWebEnter search term:Search TOP SPORT STORIESWigan 1 Manchester United 0Sir Alex Ferguson went incandescent with rage as Manchester United let rivals City back into the title raceManchester City 4 West Brom 0Sergio Aguero inspired Manchester City to kick start their faltering title bid with a dominant performanceWolves 0 Arsenal 3 Arsenal have moved five points clear of Tottenham in the race for fourth after cruising to a 3-0 win at 10-man Wolves, who look destined for the dropQPR 3 Swansea 0QPR upstaged the much-vaunted Swansea with a stunning performance at Loftus Road to hoist them clear of the relegation zoneUEFA farce as Man City fined ?25,000 for being ONE minute late for kick-off? That's ?8,000 more than Porto's fine for racially abusing Balotelli!After Hillsborough outburst, Davies risks further trouble by tweeting picture poking fun at ScousersUnder-fire comic posts picture on TwitterWhat have you Doni? 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No chance, he's not even as good as Neymar, says Pele Saturday deadline in place for Bahrain as F1 teams plan showdown talks with Ecclestone After Hillsborough outburst, comedian Davies risks further trouble by tweeting picture poking fun at Scousers Blades striker Evans and Vale defender McDonald 'raped girl as friends watched' court hears Arsenal close in on Dempsey as scouts say ?10m Fulham man will be smash hit in north London England all-rounder Bresnan and fiancee in tsunami fear ahead of wedding in Maldives There's a fairway to go but Fergie feels St Andrews golf trip has Manchester United swinging towards the Premier League title Liverpool recall rookie keeper Gulasci after suspended Doni joins Reina on sidelines Milan giants to offer mad-cap Mario way out of Manchester with ?20m bids Rangers forced to put bid announcement on hold as SPL clubs vote on financial fair play Man United fans demand season ticket price cuts from Glazer familyMORE HEADLINES After Hillsborough outburst, comedian Davies risks further trouble by tweeting picture poking fun at Scousers Arsenal close in on Dempsey as scouts say ?10m Fulham man will be smash hit in north London Hillsborough charity refuse ?1k Davies donation as backlash against comedian's rant rages Liverpool's keeper crisis deepens as Doni's red card leaves No 3 Jones set for Wembley EXCLUSIVE: When United pulled clear of City I wanted to cry... 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Only Jose the clincher or Pep the builder Duff justice: Balotelli's horror tackle goes unpunished but Derry's ban stands Blackburn 2 Liverpool 3: Carroll caps the mayhem as Reds flop nods last-gasp winner PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: Follow the action from around the grounds as it happens Arsenal line up season-long loan for Milan teen sensation El Shaarawy How Rooney kick-started United's title bid and why he should be Footballer of the Year What the back pages say: Disciplinary system shamed as Arsenal plot Dempsey raid Bolton midfielder Muamba will have pacemaker fitted before he leaves hospital Leo's London: Romeu future uncertain as Chelsea manager's door continues to revolve Guardiola orders London stay as Barcelona boss warns against Chelsea complacency Liverpool recall rookie keeper Gulasci after suspended Doni joins Reina on sidelines UEFA farce as Man City fined ?25,000 for being ONE minute late for kick-off that's ?8,000 more than Porto's fine for racially abusing Balotelli!MOST READ IN DETAIL Back to topHomeNewsU.S.SportTV&ShowbizFemailHealthScienceMoneyRightMindsCoffee BreakTravelColumnistsSitemapNewslettersRSSArchiveText-based siteReader PrintsTop of pageDaily MailMail onSundayWidgetsThis is NetworkThis is LondonThis is MoneyMetroLootJobsiteDatingFind a propertyMotorsPrime locationVilla HolidaysPublished by Associated Newspapers Ltd[LNB]Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group[LNB]© Associated Newspapers LtdContact usTermsPrivacy policy & cookiesAdvertise with us
