Watford 0 Man City 6 highlights: Sergio Aguero scores hat-trick and Gabriel Jesus also on target as Pep Guardiola’s men go top of the league
Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling also on target for the dominant visitors
PEP GUARDIOLA watched his team go on the rampage - yet again. And Sergio Aguero was City's goal hero - yet again.
After battering Liverpool and Feyenoord, City made it 15 goals scored in the space of eight days without conceding a single goal.
Elton John made his first appearance at Watford for two years yet he will have felt like going home at half-time after the home side leaked three goals in 10 first half minutes.
Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick to bring his overall Man City tally to 175 – two short of record scorer Eric Brook – while Ilkay Gundogan made his first appearance for nine months following a nasty injury.
Watford were certainly not helped by the fact they were missing four centre halves so the game was never going to be goalless.
Richarlison had the first decent chance of the game but with City guilty of some terrible defending, the Watford star sent a free header wide.
He was counting the cost of that miss moments later when Aguero showed how to do it with a glancing header into the net. Kevin de Bruyne also deserves praise for not only the accuracy of the free-kick but for the pace of it.
It was 2-0 soon four minutes later when Aguero had an easy tap-in after Heurelho Gomes made a mess of a cross from David Silva.
Gabriel Jesus was involved in the move and he then grabbed a third goal with a decent finish into the corner but he did look offside.
Aguero delivered the ball but Kyle Walker deserves praise for initially winning possession.
Silva forced a cracking save from Gomes but from a quickly-taken short corner, City’s Spanish star crossed for Nicolas Otamendi to send a effort into the roof of the net with a powerful header.
After the goal, there was a massive cheer for Gundogan who replaced Kevin de Bruyne. It was his first game for nine months after suffering a serious knee injury - against Watford.
Aguero then delivered an amazing run into the box and then rolled the ball past Gomes for a fifth, before Raheem Sterling dusted himself down after winning a penalty to make it six.
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FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS
- Gabriel Jesus' stunning hot streak continued, the brilliant Brazilian now has 11 goals and four assists in his 13 Premier League starts
- He has yet to taste defeat at all in 15 Premier League games, with 11 of those wins, a record
- His prolific strike partner Sergio Aguero is just as happy when facing Watford. It's now a ridiculous nine goals in just five matches against the Hornets, while his record away from home is extended - a goal in each of his last eight starts away from the Etihad
- Playing the pair together has seen Pep Guardiola hit goldust. In matches where they've linked up from the off, Aguero has nine in eight and Jesus has seven in eight... along with six assists between them
- Swinging in an unstoppable delivery saw Kevin de Bruyne overtake Christian Eriksen as the Premier League's assist king since he made his debut in September 2015. It's now 30 assists in that time
- Watford have never beaten Manchester City in the Premier League - and that record was extended to seven games in just 30 brutal minutes today (two draws, five defeats)
- In fact the last time Watford beat Man City in any competition was 12 matches ago, way back in 1989
- Watford missed out on the chance to go top of the Premier League. A win would have seen them top of the top-flight for the first time since 1982
- Pep Guardiola extended his unbeaten league run to 13 matches, with 10 of those games wins
- It will have been a long time for Ilkay Gundogan, but 252 days later and the German star has finally returned. He missed 32 Man City matches in that time
SOCIAL SAYS
WHAT THEY SAID
"We have only lost three points. The score is heavy but it is not easy," says Watford manager Marco Silva.
"On Monday we will train hard, analyse and prepare. It is our obligation as a team."
Pep Guardiola said: ""I was lucky to manage Barcelona with many outstanding performances but this week has been a lot of goals.
"We have found our game, we can make short passes and we have a lot of energy from our full-backs."