Manchester City cruised past Swansea City 4-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday to set a new Premier League record of 15 consecutive wins.
Pep Guardiola’s runaway league leaders equaled a best mark for a season when they beat Manchester United 2-1 on Sunday and they have now overtaken Arsenal’s 14-game streak, which was registered across two campaigns.
Two goals from the irrepressible David Silva and one each from Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero sealed a routine triumph over the league’s bottom club, maintaining City’s enormous lead over United at the summit.
Silva, who grabbed the opener against United at the weekend, got City up and running after 27 minutes with a clever finish before De Bruyne continued his remarkable season by scoring with a free-kick.
Spain international Silva grabbed his second shortly after the restart with another fine finish and only some impressive saves from Lukasz Fabianksi prevented the scoreline from spiralling out of control.
Sergio Aguero completed another memorable night for Guardiola’s record-breakers late on, finishing a mazy run with a wonderful finish into the bottom corner.
City, who made four changes from the game at Old Trafford, started in typically dominant fashion and came close early on when Fernandinho’s sweetly struck volley was repelled by Fabianski.
The visitors were far from their fluid best in the opening quarter – with just two off-target Aguero headers to show for their efforts – but deservedly broke the deadlock shortly before the half-hour mark..
Bernardo Silva’s teasing cross was inexplicably left by the Swans backline and David Silva was on the receiving end to flick impudently past the exposed Fabianksi.
It took just seven more minutes for City to bag their second as De Bruyne’s dipping free-kick from the corner of the penalty area bounced awkwardly in front of Fabianski and flashed past him into the net.
Silva should have scored his second immediately after the interval, but somehow contrived to skew wide after lovely interplay between De Bruyne and Aguero had released him inside the area.
Aguero was then denied by Fabianksi before Silva atoned for his earlier miss with a goal of the highest quality.
The 31-year-old collected Raheem Sterling’s pass inside the area, moved the ball out of his feet, and clipped a wonderful finish over the onrushing Fabianski for his fifth goal of the season.
The horribly over-worked Swans goalkeeper made a fine save from Sterling just moments later and Aguero flashed wide as City threatened to run riot.
Aguero finally got on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining as he blazed past the beleaguered Swans defence and stroked the ball into the bottom corner – a fitting way to end a landmark evening for Guardiola’s men.
In other Premier League results:
Claude Puel returned to haunt former club Southampton in the Premier League, as Leicester City ran riot to win 4-1 at St Mary’s Stadium.
Romelu Lukaku eased concerns about his goalscoring form with the winner as Manchester United bounced back from derby day disappointment by edging Bournemouth 1-0 at a sodden Old Trafford.
Liverpool were held to a poor 0-0 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League as Alan Pardew’s side climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point.
Arsenal dropped points for a third Premier League game in a row as they were held to a 0-0 draw at West Ham United in a wasteful showing.
Tottenham Hotspur took advantage of Liverpool and Arsenal dropping points to move into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za
