Manchester City keep Chelsea in sight with West Brom win

West Brom 1 Manchester City 3

Manchester City equalled a club record stretching back to 1912 with this ninth successive victory to remain within three points of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League but, while it rained goals in the first half, when Fernando, Yaya Touré and David Silva put Manuel Pellegrini's side in complete control, a second-half blizzard left the Hawthorns pitch coated in snow and players wary of their welfare.

While Mark Clattenburg, the referee, never appeared to consult with his fellow officials over whether the match should be completed, the ball was not rolling as normal and City players seemed to be avoiding going into unnecessary tackles as they refrained from chasing a goal avalanche. Joe Hart was culpable for Brown Ideye's first Premier League goal as the England goalkeeper missed Chris Brunt's corner and the ball went in off the Nigerian.

This seventh consecutive league victory keeps City right on the coattails of Chelsea, who beat West Ham United 2-0 in the lunchtime kick-off, before Sunday’s contrasting fixtures, when the champions host Burnley and the leaders travel to recovering Southampton.

For West Bromwich Albion, at least they did not go under in the second half, but a sixth defeat in eight games leaves them two points above the relegation zone as they prepare to visit Stoke City on Sunday.

It was difficult not to feel sorry for Albion as their slim chances of victory receded rapidly towards zero in the opening half. Rain turning to sleet, having lost a relegation clash with QPR from a 2-0 winning position, Albion’s confidence slipped beneath ground level as the champions went three goals ahead by the break.

Even with no striker on the field, City had far too much firepower for the West Midlands side, who had won only one of their eight previous Stephens’s day games in the Premier League. If anything, having James Milner playing as the most advanced of six midfielders means City’s tempo and movement is better than ever. The lightning pace of their counterattack in the opening moments, from an Albion corner, was a sign of things to come, as Ben Foster saved nervily from David Silva.

Within eight minutes City were ahead and this time Foster was at fault. Jesús Navas played a one-two with Yaya Touré down the right hand side and from his awkward cross, the England squad goalkeeper fumbled the ball down inside his six-yard box from where Fernando scored with an overhead kick as dextrous as it was surprising. It was only the Brazilian’s second shot on target in the Premier League.

If Albion thought their luck was out at such a breakthrough, they knew it five minutes later. Joleon Lescott, the former City man, got some of the ball as he tackled Silva but Clattenburg had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. From the spot, Touré scored, for his sixth goal in nine games in all competitions. And when Touré scores, City win; this was the 19th such occasion in succession when the Ivorian’s scoring has coincided with a City win.

Albion were wholly lacking in conviction in this period. Even though they had been the better team at Loftus Road, and edged the Midlands derby to beat Aston Villa last time out at The Hawthorns, not even the return of Saido Berahino increased their belief. Indeed, it was their leading goalscorer who screwed shots wide, twice, when fed by through balls from James Morrison, either side of City’s third goal.

Fernando was allowed to run clear from halfway to the verge of the Albion area where he switched the ball out wide to Navas, who fed it back to Silva to side-foot home. Foster, presumably unsighted, barely moved.

By now the snow was swirling down and the main questions remaining seemed to be how many City would score and what time we could all get back to our hearth sides.

The yellow ball came into it own in the second half as the pitch turned white under the incessant snow, and the match resembled a sideshow to the festive conditions. Silvestre Varela side-footed a half-volley wide from Andre Wisdom’s cross to the back post, and Lescott headed over before Ideye scored four minutes from time, after City had dominated possession with comfort and no-one went out of their way to risk falling over too much.

(Guardian Service)