Manchester City vs. Watford: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match
Manchester City ended their two-match losing streak in the Premier League on Wednesday, beating Watford 2-0 at home.
Pablo Zabaleta gave the hosts the lead with a fine header in the first half, and the Citizens tried to monopolise possession to keep Watford out.
The Hornets had their moments after the break and missed several good chances, but David Silva secured the win with a late second goal.
As reported by City's official Twitter account, manager Pep Guardiola left out-of-form defender John Stones on the bench:
Watford started the match well, with Nordin Amrabat finding plenty of success against a shaky City defence. Etienne Capoue fired the first shot of the match wide, making a poor connection from the edge of the box.
The Citizens soon found their rhythm, however, with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne linking up well. The latter put goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to work for the first time after eight minutes.
The resulting corner fell to Nolito, who drew another fine save from Gomes. The Spaniard went close to goal minutes later, heading over from close range.
Watford couldn't get a grip on proceedings in midfield, and the visitors barely created chances. Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News noted City didn't fare much better:
Nolito tried to poke a ball through the legs of Gomes after a lovely pass from De Bruyne, and Gundogan couldn't control a volley, blasting wide.
Roberto Pereyra clashed with Zabaleta and was unable to continue, with Watford urging the Citizens to put the ball out of play to allow the substitution, even if the hosts were in the middle of an attack.
Minutes later, the Hornets forgot about Zabaleta when De Bruyne curled a cross into the box, and the Argentinian easily nodded home. Per Squawka Football, he had gone some time without a goal:
Gundogan had to be substituted after a clash with Amrabat, with Fernando replacing the Germany international shortly before half-time. Yaya Toure fired a late attempt over the crossbar, and Raheem Sterling failed to pick out De Bruyne with a sloppy pass to bring the first half to a close.
The second half started with another player suffering a knock, as Daryl Janmaat cut his nose in a duel.
Gomes got down quickly to deny De Bruyne an early second goal, with none of his City team-mates able to follow the ball for the rebound. City were in complete control to start the second half, and Sterling went very close after a surging run, firing a shot off the crossbar.
Adlene Guedioura powered a free-kick over the bar for Watford, who introduced both Isaac Success and Troy Deeney in search of an equaliser.
Claudio Bravo made a fantastic save to keep Capoue out, and Odion Ighalo perhaps should have tied things up, wildly blasting over a cross from Amrabat.
Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch. Silva and Sterling set up the attack, with the latter curling a great shot into the top corner.
After the match, Guardiola praised the scorer of the first goal, per the Premier League's official Twitter account:
Watford will travel to Sunderland for their next outing on Saturday, while City host Arsenal on Sunday.
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