Goals from Wilfried Bony, Fernando and David Silva secured three points over Tony Pulis’ side who played the majority of the game with only ten players.
If the champions are to put in a late surge for the finishing post, this was the fillip Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed after a difficult few weeks
...City 3 WBA 0..
City needed an early boost after recent defeats to Burnley and Barcelona and with less than two minutes on the clock, they got it when Albion were reduced to ten men as Bony was hauled down when clear on goal.
Bizarrely, referee Neil Swarbrick ensured his name would be in the headlines as he sent off Gareth McAuley instead of Craig Dawson who had committed the offence.
The visitors, who looked as though they had come to defend in numbers anyway, made their intentions clear immediately by packing men behind the ball and ensuring there was little or no space for the hosts to create anything of note for the next 25 minutes until, at last, the breakthrough.
As the Blues continued to probe for an opening, Fernando’s shot looped up high enough for Bony to pull the ball down before turning and smashing home his first goal for City.
It was no more than the champions deserved for their total domination of a game that the visitors had only managed to venture out of their halves on a couple of occasions, though in fairness their game-plan had gone out of the window shortly after kick-off.
On the half-hour, Jesus Navas turned and fired a fierce shot that looked destined for the top corner before Boaz Myhill pushed it over the bar
...City 3 WBA 0..
Gael Clichy went close shortly after as the Blues looked to turn the screw and five minutes before the break, the lead was doubled as Fernando pounced on a loose ball in the six-yard box to stab home only his second goal for City – the other also came against West Brom on Boxing Day! It was also City’s 1000th Premier League goal.
The one-way traffic continued after the break with chance after chance repelled by Myhill, put wide or scrambled clear by the over-worked visitors’ defence.
The woodwork also denied the Blues a third twice in the space of five seconds as Sergio Aguero hit the post and then Bony followed up with a shot that struck the bar.
It took 73 minutes of the game for Albion to seriously threaten Hart’s goal as a set-piece routine ended with Saido Berahino’s header striking the underside of the bar – had it gone in, it could have made for an uncomfortable last 20 minutes or so.
As it was, normal service was quickly resumed with sub Stevan Jovetic going close along with Aguero before the killer blow was delivered by Silva who flicked home Jovetic’s low shot on 78 minutes for his eleventh goal of the campaign.
That was the end of the scoring and City did what they needed to by taking three points heading into the international break and will look to kick on again when domestic football resumes.
After all, we’ve done it before...
