MX23RW : Friday, November 8 17:51:30| >> :60:628:628:
[monks data]
Attendance: 54,273
Manchester City logo
Premier League | Gameweek 6
Sep 21, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
Watford logo

8-0

Silva (1'), Aguero (7' pen.), Mahrez (12'), Silva (15', 48', 60'), Otamendi (18'), De Bruyne (85')
FT(HT: 5-0)

Manchester City a "joy to watch" against Watford - Guardiola

Manchester City a
© Reuters
The midweek Champions League triumph at Shakhtar Donetsk was followed up by the club's biggest ever top-flight victory.

Pep Guardiola called rampant Manchester City a "joy to watch" after his side ripped apart Watford in record-breaking fashion and racked up an 8-0 win.

Last weekend's shock loss to Norwich is now far in the rear-view mirror, thanks to the midweek Champions League triumph at Shakhtar Donetsk being followed up by the club's biggest ever top-flight victory.

Bernardo Silva's hat-trick was complemented by efforts David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi and star man Kevin De Bruyne as Watford fell to their heaviest ever league defeat.

The key to the victory was five goals in a remarkable 18 opening minutes and City eventually finished just short of Manchester United's Premier League record 9-0 defeat of Ipswich in 1995.

"It is weird, it is not normal," Guardiola said of his side's start at the Etihad Stadium. "Five shots, five goals.

"In the same time we gave them two chances to score two goals that we were lucky in this time it didn't happen when in the past it sometimes happened.

"But the quality of the players up front made the difference, so the quality that we have is a joy to watch.

"After 5-0, the game is completely different. Analyse after that, the mood one team, the mood the other team. The relaxation you play with, the tension they play with, so it's difficult to say.

"We were ruthless in terms of five shots, five goals. Sometimes we shoot 25 times or 15 or 20 and you cannot do it.

"So, after the Champions League and a huge trip back home, no time to prepare, rest and everything.

"It was a lovely day for all of us, for our City fans, a lovely day in the sunshine and a lot of goals."

Manchester City v Watford – Premier League – Etihad Stadium
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed his side's performance against Watford (Martin Rickett/PA)

Guardiola's men had 28 shots against the Hornets, whose hopes of exacting revenge for their 6-0 FA Cup final shellacking looked unlikely when David Silva opened the scoring after 52 seconds.

Watford counterpart Quique Sanchez Flores understandably did not have anything positive to reflect on after City's early gut punch left his side flailing.

"Well, first (we need) to say sorry to the fans because they came to the stadium waiting for a good performance from the time," he said after his second match since returning to the hotseat ended in embarrassment.

Manchester City v Watford – Premier League – Etihad Stadium
Watford's manager Quique Sanchez Flores, left, was struggling to take any positives from the heavy defeat (Martin Rickett/PA)

"It was very difficult to be on the pitch today.

"After 30 seconds, we realised it will be maybe tough. After 10 minutes, it was really very, very difficult. And after 15, it was impossible to play like this.

"If you say you are going to play against Manchester City and you are going make many mistakes, of course it will be very tough for us.

"We did in different ways. Not always the same.

"We concede the first five goals all in different ways, so it is probably because we were slowly or always behind the ball or the decisions of the players. We need to accept the situation."

ID:372338: cacheID:372338:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8876:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Pep Guardiola watches on during the Premier League game between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on August 17, 2019
Read Next:
Guardiola: 'I didn't doubt my players would respond to Norwich defeat'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!