David Silva Excels vs. West Brom as Manchester City Equal Club Record

When Manchester City left the field at Loftus Road seven weeks ago after having scraped a 2-2 draw against a QPR side marooned in the bottom three, their season, it was fair to say, was on the ropes. Playing badly and with a lack of confidence infecting almost every area of their squad, the idea they could challenge a rampant Chelsea side buoyed by a superb summer transfer window seemed fanciful at best.

However, a club record-equalling nine straight wins since then have turned their season around. They completed their latest, a 3-1 victory away at West Brom, in style after a first-half performance of real quality that gave the home side a footballing lesson and suggested City mean business in this season’s title race.

There were so many players who performed at a high level in Manuel Pellegrini’s side at The Hawthorns that it is difficult to pick the best. Samir Nasri continued to his recent form, which has been both captivating to watch and influential for his team, and James Milner and Jesus Navas—both tireless, willing runners—gave the Baggies’ defence all sorts of problems.

But it was David Silva, playing in a central position with the freedom to go wherever he wanted, who stole the show. This was the latest in a long line of recent displays the Spaniard has given in the No. 10 role that will live long in the memory. His movement, vision and wonderful passing ability were all topped off with a superb goal.

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

His display at Anfield last season in City’s 3-2 defeat was probably the finest from a City player in recent history—and there were countless other match-winning performances from the Spaniard as the club closed in on the title with their star midfielder operating centrally.

This was just the latest reminder of his suitability to playing just behind a striker. Even when City’s forwards return from injury, Pellegrini must surely be considering moving him there permanently.

City—once again playing a striker-less system after injury ruled out Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, while Stevan Jovetic was only deemed fit enough for the bench—were excellent against West Brom. The fluidity of Silva, Navas, Milner and Nasri was exciting to watch, and they raced to a 3-0 lead inside 34 minutes.

Fernando, who continues to grow into his role in the side, scored the first—a clever, looping effort over his own head, capitalising on a fumble by Ben Foster in the West Brom goal—before Yaya Toure converted a penalty after Silva had been upended by former City man, Joleon Lescott.

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MATCH SHOT: @Fernando_Reges adjusts superbly to hook the ball in and open the scoring for the champions. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/Qow5vObKhv

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) December 26, 2014"

And it was Silva himself who bagged the third after a cool finish into the bottom corner that gave Foster no chance. Navas had been released by Fernando after his driving run from midfield, and Silva took one touch to set himself before expertly slotting home.

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MATCH SHOT: City's third goalscorer of the day @21LVA is congratulated by @JNavas, who provided the assist. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/J0W6hMQtx1

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) December 26, 2014"

Brown Ideye pulled one back for the Baggies with just three minutes remaining, ending City’s run of 436 minutes without conceding, after Joe Hart made a mess of an attempted punch. The snow was coming down hard by that point, making the conditions difficult, but Hart will surely feel he should have done better.

Afterwards, Pellegrini said he was pleased with his side's display, especially given the lack of striking options. “We changed the style of play, and we are doing well. We are preparing to give the midfielders time to arrive at the edge of the box. We are creating more space and we are using the space in the right moment," he said.

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

“I was happy because I said last week it is very important to play in another style, as we don’t have strikers.

“It was a very important game because it is not easy to play on Boxing Day. We have to play three games in just a week, so it was very important to start this week by winning this game away against a difficult team.

“It is very important to continue in the way we are playing because we have won the last nine games, including [in] the Champions League.”

City, who play Burnley at the Etihad on Sunday, now have a wonderful opportunity to break the long-standing club record of nine consecutive wins in all competitions and keep the pressure on leaders Chelsea, who go to Southampton on the same day.

After a difficult start, City are now right back to their best, and the title race looks likely to be a marathon, rather than the sprint some were predicting a few weeks ago.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.