Manchester City vs. Watford: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester City continued their terrific start to the 2015-16 Premier League season with a decisive 2-0 win over Watford at the Etihad Stadium.
Although it took them 47 minutes to find a breakthrough, City were dominant for the majority of the contest, and Joe Hart did not face a single shot on goal.
The victory was also an historical one for City, as they broke a 103-year-old record of consecutive league wins with 10.
The Citizens also received a boost in the title race, as Chelsea fell at home to Crystal Palace and Liverpool dropped points to West Ham United at Anfield on Saturday. City's closest contender for the title at the moment is Palace, who sit three points behind them through four games.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from City's home triumph over newly promoted Watford.
Winner: Raheem Sterling
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While his former club were defeated at home by West Ham United, Raheem Sterling was busy turning in a Man of the Match performance for his new side at the Etihad Stadium.
The big-money arrival from Anfield lived up to his transfer fee in the victory over Watford, as he ran rampant on the left wing in the first half and produced some creative play through the middle in the second half.
Sterling created the best scoring opportunity for City in the first half when he forced Heurelho Gomes into a save in the 28th minute. After switching into a central role following Samir Nasri's entrance at the start of the second stanza, the former Liverpool man put City ahead with a beautiful one-touch finish in the 47th minute.
Throughout the contest, Sterling continued to find gaps in the Watford defense and was able to put pressure on the back line while setting up Sergio Aguero and others. The thorough showing from Sterling left City full of confidence entering the international break.
Loser: Troy Deeney
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The main reason why Watford were unable to make any substantial noise in the final third was the positioning of Troy Deeney.
For the majority of the first half when the Hornets needed an outlet on the counter, Deeney was caught defending on the right wing against the duo of Sterling and David Silva.
Due to his quest to defend the dangerous City pairing, Deeney was unable to provide his club with any hold-up play in an attempt to give the defense a breath after facing the sustained pressure from the hosts.
Deeney did pop up once in the second half and fed Ikechi Anya with a nice pass in the middle of the penalty area, but after that brief spell of positive play in the 67th minute he disappeared once again.
If the Hornets want to challenge to stay in the top flight past this season, they have to get more production out of Deeney regardless of the opponent.
Winner: Fernandinho
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The highlight of Fernandinho's match was his belting strike in the 56th minute, but the Brazilian contributed much more to the City cause than his second goal of the season.
The 30-year-old took advantage of the countless mistakes made by Watford, as the visitors tried to clear the ball out of their own half. The Hornets' poor control of the ball allowed Fernandinho to make five tackles and two interceptions from his defensive-midfield role.
With Yaya Toure impressing next to him, Fernandinho was able to relax on the ball and help City dominate the possession battle. The Brazilian recorded a 94.8 percent passing accuracy and made three key passes.
If he continues his strong start to the season after the international break, City will be a hard side to break down in midfield.
Loser: Jesus Navas
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With the impending arrival of Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg, Jesus Navas was under pressure to shine with his spot in the lineup at risk.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he was unable to impress on the right wing and was lifted for Samir Nasri at half-time.
While there is no doubt Navas will remain a contributor in some fashion with City's busy fixture list, one has to wonder how many starts he will receive once De Bruyne becomes a permanent member of the squad.
With Sterling and Silva in fine form, and the pressure to put the pricey new signing in the starting 11, manager Manuel Pellegrini may end up handing Navas an extended spell on the bench.
Winner: Ikechi Anya
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We'll be honest here that we're grasping for straws when talking about positives Watford can take away from their defeat on the blue half of Manchester.
However, the one key positive the Hornets can take away from the match is the play of Ikechi Anya off the bench.
Anya, who was replaced in the starting 11 by Almen Abdi, proved why he deserves to be one of the first names on manager Quique Sanchez Flores' teamsheet each week with his pace and ability to create chances in the final third.
With home matches against Swansea City and Crystal Palace and a trip to Bournemouth following the international break, it would be smart for Flores to reintroduce Anya into the starting 11 to get the best possible results.
Winner: Manuel Pellegrini
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There are plenty of managers around the Premier League who are jealous of the start Manuel Pellegrini has guided Manchester City to.
City have recorded four clean sheets to start the season for the first time in club history, per Stat City, and the summer additions have certainly improved the squad. As if Pellegrini needed any more good news, he'll have Kevin De Bruyne at his disposal after the international break.
Pellegrini also used a managerial masterstroke to get the best out of his attack in the win over Watford. Following a tepid first half, the City boss replaced Navas with Nasri and shifted Sterling into a central role behind Aguero.
Within two minutes of the change taking place, the Citizens were ahead by a goal and on track to win their 10th consecutive league match, which broke a 103-year-old club record.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
