Hull City vs. Manchester City: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Manchester City continued their fine Premier League form on Boxing Day, winning their third consecutive match by beating Hull City 3-0.  

The Citizens dominated possession before half-time but barely had any chances, and Hull improved after the break. Both sides had their looks, but it was Yaya Toure who opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute.

Kelechi Iheanacho doubled City's lead shortly after, all but securing the three points, and Curtis Davies put the ball in his own net to put the final score on the board.

As shared by City's official Twitter account, manager Pep Guardiola again opted to start Kevin De Bruyne as a false nine:

The Tigers put pressure on City early, disrupting their passing movement and limiting looks in the attacking third. Davies almost played in Dieumerci Mbokani, with John Stones just managing to play the ball safe, despite stumbling.

Toure drew a first save from David Marshall with a free-kick that was aimed well but lacked the power to trouble the goalkeeper. De Bruyne threatened shortly after, but his shot was blocked by Andrew Robertson.

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City kept prodding, but both De Bruyne and David Silva had shots blocked from promising positions. And before long, disaster struck for City, as Stones appeared to take a knock to his knee and was replaced by Aleksandar Kolarov.

Per City Watch, the England international took his place on the bench, an encouraging sight:

Marshall denied Silva after the Spaniard was played in by Toure, while Jake Livermore headed Hull's best chance of the first half over the bar. The midfielder tried his luck with a shot from distance minutes later, but Claudio Bravo made a comfortable save.

The Tigers defence didn't lose their composure, forcing City into a handful of shots from poor positions. Nolito gave Marshall another effort to deal with after a smart combination with Silva, but once again, it barely troubled the stopper.

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Raheem Sterling blasted a shot well over the crossbar, and Nolito couldn't keep his effort on target, either, sending it wide. Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News wasn't too impressed:

Hull ended the half with some solid possession and a handful of crosses from Robert Snodgrass, but Nicolas Otamendi dominated the aerial battle. At half-time, the score was still 0-0.

Things opened up more after the break, with Hull looking to get on the scoreboard. Bacary Sagna had to be alert to slide in front of Sam Clucas, making a fine defensive play, and Snodgrass was furious when he played the ball off Gael Clichy and wasn't awarded a penalty.

Harry Maguire fired a volley over the bar before De Bruyne went close, wrong-footing Marshall but sending his shot off the post. Per Squawka Football, the woodwork hasn't been kind to the Belgian this season:

Bravo nearly gifted the Tigers the lead by coming off his line to deal with a cross, and Davies took advantage, heading a ball that was cleared off the line by Sagna. 

The Citizens also had their chances, with De Bruyne and substitute Iheanacho in the thick of things. The former created some space with a great spinning move, but the finish wasn't there. 

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Iheanacho just couldn't get enough on the ball to direct home a great cross from De Bruyne, allowing Marshall to make a routine save. 

With 18 minutes left to play, Sterling was caught by Robertson inside the box, and the official pointed to the penalty spot. Veteran midfielder Toure took care of business, giving the visitors a much-needed lead. BlueMoonRisingTV never doubted the Ivorian:

The goal liberated the Citizens, who immediately started attacking again from kick-off. Just six minutes after the opener, Iheanacho found himself on the end of a fine cross from Silva, making the score 2-0.

The Citizens eased off after the second goal, although Silva and Iheanacho nearly combined for a third. Hull lacked the energy to chase the ball in search of an unlikely comeback, and they would concede once more, as Davies turned the ball into his own net after a great move from Sterling.

Per City's official Twitter account, Guardiola already has his eye on the task at hand:

City travel to Liverpool for their next outing on Saturday, while Hull play host to Everton on Friday night.