Manchester City maintained their perfect
start to the season with an impressive 3-0 over Wigan Athletic at the Etihad
Stadium.
A Sergio Aguero hat-trick wrapped up the
three points to leave Roberto Mancini's men at the top of the Premier League
table with 15 goals in their opening four games.
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| Sergio Aguero Celebrates after scoring the Hat-trick |
The Italian gave Carlos Tevez a starting
berth in place of the Premier League's leading scorer Edin Dzeko with the
Argentine looking to re-establish his reputation with the Eastlands faithful
following a summer of transfer speculation that only served to damage his
reputation. Samir Nasri, who was at his first game in City colours, started on
the bench.
Latics boss Roberto Martinez was equally
hesitant with his potential debutants, leaving Spanish winger Albert Crusat on
the bench as well as Patrick van Aanholt and Shaun Maloney out of the squad
completely.
The home side started with the greater
endeavour and should have taken the lead within the opening five minutes, with
Adam Johnson blazing over from inside the area after controlling Gael Clichy's
deep cross.
The pressure from City was becoming
impossible to contain and the Wigan resistance was broken after only 13 minutes
when David Silva, in irresistible form, playing in Aguero after a fine bit of
skill and the former Atletico Madrid man drilled home.
As has been their wont so far this
season, the home side were unwilling to rest on their laurels and had a
marvellous opportunity to double their advantage less than five minutes later
when the blistering Silva was brought down by his compatriot Adrian Lopez in
the area. Carlos Tevez was given the chance to make it two from the penalty
spot but tamely scuffed his effort into the arms of Al-Habsi. It was a moment
befitting the striker, who had started the clash somewhat meekly.
The visitors, to their credit, were
refusing to go into their shell but as each attack mounted from Martinez's men,
an ominous counter was invariably forthcoming from their hosts. Chances for
Johnson and Aguero were wasted but not quite as embarrassingly as a spurned
effort from Micah Richards, who conspired to hit the bar from seven yards out
after breaking the offside trap wonderfully.
The chances were stacking up for the
hosts and having seen Vincent Kompany rattle the post with a fine headed effort
from Milner's corner, Toure looked all the world to have played Lescott in but
failed to get a strong enough touch and the Latics, somehow, went in at
half-time only a goal behind Mancini's men.
The visitors seemed willing to make the
most of City's profligacy and came out in the second period with impressive
movement going forward. Ben Watson, breaking from midfield, so nearly latched
onto a Rodallega through-ball but was beaten to it by Joe Hart.
It was an impressive showing of
endeavour from the visitors but any chance they had of getting back into the
game was soon quashed by Aguero, with the Argentine finishing off some sublime
build-up play from Toure, Silva and substitute Samir Nasri with a neat finish
past Al-Habsi.
With the ruthlessness of true title
contenders, the hosts turned the knife with another shortly after and it was
Aguero once again, profiting from a magnificent ball from Silva to all but end
the contest. It was a performance worthy of a hat-trick from the Argentine, who
has taken his tally to six goals in four City appearances.
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