6-0 was the scoreline that read at Etihad, and it wasn’t against one of the mid or lower table teams. FOX Sports Asia reviews 5 salient talking points from a ruthless Manchester City performance against Chelsea at the Etihad.
5. Super Sergio Aguero
On a night when he could have easily had five goals, Sergio Aguero tied the record for most number of Premier League hattricks with Alan Shearer and it’s an eventuality that he will eventually go on to hold it outright as well.
Sergio Aguero has scored 8 #PL goals in 2019 – double that of any other player in the competition and more than 11 other clubs#MCICHE pic.twitter.com/Z6jiQTBs30
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 10, 2019
It was a splendid performance from a player who’s come to embody the gold standard for strikers in the league and he deservedly took home the match ball.
4. Chelsea implode defensively
Maurizio Sarri has a lot of sorting out to do defensively as a number of goals they conceded yesterday could have been avoided had they switched on at the back when it mattered.
FROSTY! Maurizio Sarri wasn’t for shaking Pep Guardiola’s hand after that defeat ?? pic.twitter.com/Ozh1CAHf3a
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) February 10, 2019
The night’s first goal came as a result of schoolboy defending from a freekick, Ross Barkley’s ill-advised backpass proved to be the assist for Aguero’s second and Azpilicueta didn’t need to take Sterling out in the penalty box to concede a spotkick.
Yes, City were superior on all accounts. But Chelsea shot themselves in the foot.
3. A sign of things to come
The blip by Manchester City when they lost to Crystal Palace and Leicester City back to back seems to have been put firmly behind them with this performance.
It wasn’t just an absolute battering handed out to a big six club in England, it was also a statement of intent from the defending Champions. Liverpool may be leading the race at the moment, but City have every intention of finishing strong.
2. End of the line for Sarri?
Maurizio Sarri’s outright honesty has painted a grim picture of Stamford Bridge. His vocal criticism of his players seemed to evoke unpleasant memories of managers past and clearly, Sarriball certainly hasn’t worked in the Premier League enough to get them on board.
The only remaining question is whether the crushing defeat to City is a wake up call to the board to either sanction a complete overhaul of the Chelsea squad so Sarri can get in the personnel he wants – or to do away with the embattled Italian and hire someone else.
Knowing the club’s track record, it isn’t hard to guess which route they’ll likely pursue.
1. City yet again the ceiling
There have been results this season between the top 6 teams, when Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-2 or when Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-1, which have been lopsided.
But none have been quite as lopsided as this. Chelsea, for all their flaws, are a strong team. And City reminded the entire Premier League why they are Champions and, quite simply, one of the best teams in Europe, with that performance.
Who’d have thought Sarri’s pre-match comments would come back to haunt him so?