In the biggest match of the season so far, Manchester City dispatched their dearest rivals Manchester United 2-1 at the Old Trafford. Goals from Nicolas Otamendi and David Silva were enough to earn the Sky Blues a famous victory. The 175th Manchester Derby ended with the blue side establishing local dominance, basically confirming the impending power shift in Manchester. In doing so, Pep’s men extended their lead at the top of the table to 11 points, all but confirming thePremier League title.
The title-deciding victory means Manchester City have now won 14 Premier League games on the bounce this season, setting a new record for the PL era. The previous record of 13 was held by both Arsenal (2002) and Chelsea (2017). Now Manchester City stand on a pedestal of their own with 14 and they certainly look set only to extend that streak.
The fact that they broke the record at Old Trafford, only further re-enforces how dominant they’ve been so far this season. Add to that, the fact that this result ended United’s 40-game home unbeaten run, and the City’s exploits look even greater.
Fifteen wins out of sixteen league games, while scoring 48 goals and only conceding 11, shows how magnificent Pep Guardiola’s men have been. The Sky Blues now have 46 points to their name, a tally that would have been good enough to finish in 8th place last season. Manchester City are playing a brand of football only reminiscent of Arsene Wenger’s early days in England. The league leaders have averaged a rate of 66% possession this season, completing 88.5% of their passes.
Do you want to know why the Sky Blues have been so successful? It’s because they have an abundance of quality in their attack that evenly distributes the share of responsibility. Sergio Agüero (9), Raheem Sterling (9) and Gabriel Jesus (8) have scored 26 goals between them, while Kevin De Bruyne (8), David Silva (8) & Leroy Sane (6) have collectively provided 20 assists. City’s greatest ever striker in Agüero didn’t even play at Old Trafford, that’s how much depth they have. When one player falls to the side, other steps in to deliver the goods.
Now the question lies whether Manchester City can sustain this excellent form till the end of the season? Can Pep’s men replicate the wondrous achievement of Arsene Wenger’s invincibles, because, at the moment, they certainly do look invincible? With advancements in technology, the emergence of sports science and the development of football tactics, the feat achieved now would be greater than that of Arsenal’s Invincibles.
Away days at the Emirates, Wembley Stadium and Anfield will stand in there way, but apart from that, there’s no reason as to why Manchester City can’t go down as the greatest team in the Premier League history. I’d recommend that everyone watch every one of Manchester City’s game from now on, because we truly may be witnessing history in the making.
Up next for Pep Guardiola’s men is an away trip to Swansea City, followed by a home clash with Tottenham, Bournemouth (h), Newcastle (a) and Crystal Palace (a) before 2018. Anyone else smells a 19-game winning streak? Because I do.
