UPDATED: English Premier League – Manchester City defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in their opening game of the season on Monday.
The summer signing Raheem Sterling made his debut for The Citizens and all eyes were on Sterling after England forward’s protracted move from Liverpool this year. However, the debutant was overshadowed by the old guns as Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany made the decisive contributions in an impressive win.
Ivory Coast midfielder Toure put his team ahead in the ninth minute when he netted the ball with a deflection off his team-mate David Silva. Fifteen minutes later, Toure pulled off another one with a curling shot into the top corner. At the end of first half, Manchester City players walked off the field with 2-0 up.
Belgium defender Vincent Kompany headed in a corner after half-time to cap a confident opener for last year’s runners-up, who sit top of the table after the first round of fixtures. Manuel Pelligrini’s men were in control right from the start and dominated the possession throughout the encounter.
The hosts had a rare chance for a consolation goal when Chris Brunt crossed for James Morrison, who headed straight at goalkeeper Joe Hart. West Brom manager Tom Pulis asked for more aggressive play from his squad after a disappointing start to the season and hopeful of making a strong comeback with the arrival of their own record signing, Venezuela forward Salomon Rondon.
During the post-match, Manuel Pellegrini said: “It is important to start with a win. In the Premier League normally you are going to win or lose the league by one point, so it’s important to start strongly.”
The visitors had a great outing at the Hawthorns, except Toure went off the field with an apparent groin injury, ahead of the meeting with defending champions Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in their next league game. IMAGE/Theguardian
