MANCHESTER City eventually made it a perfect ten from ten – but not before the glitter had turned to jitters as they so nearly gave it away.
Pep Guardiola’s men were awesome yet again as they cruised into a two-goal lead inside the first 13 minutes. But after taking their foot off the gas in the second half – and leaving a lazy one dangling in Fernandinho’s case – Napoli could easily have snatched the most undeserving of points.
City had gone ahead after only eight minutes, when Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and David Silva combined, and Raheem Sterling thumped home after Kyle Walker’s miscued stab.
Five minutes later it was two, when Raul Albiol first misplaced a header and then missed Kevin De Bruyne’s slide rule cross which Gabriel Jesus poked home at the far post.
De Bruyne then rattled the bar with one which could so easily have bounced down and in, rather than spinning away from the goal-line.
City went even closer with Jesus’ shot on the turn, Pepe Reina doing superbly to get half a stop on it, and Kalidou Koulibaly somehow trapping it between his legs on the line.
But just as the Italians looked broken, they were gifted a lifeline as Kyle Walker held down Albiol in the box to concede a needless penalty. Top scorer Dries Mertens’ effort was woeful, drilled with no venom straight down the middle, and after Ederson blocked with his legs, Fernandinho dived in to finish the job.
Another clanger, from Fernandinho’s heavy touch, saw Mertens pull it back and John Stones dive bravely and superbly to deflect Marek Hamsik’s goalbound effort behind.
Yet City didn’t learn their lesson, and when Fernandinho hung out a lazy leg, Faouzi Ghoulam went over it, and Amadou Diawara took over spot kick duties successfully.
Suddenly City were the ones who were wobbling and ultimately that final whistle to signal a tenth straight win in all competitions couldn’t come quickly enough.
From The Sun
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