New manager but same result as Manchester City thumped Tottenham Hotspur for the second time this season to go top of the Premier League.
Back in November City thumped Spurs 6-0, a result that saw the end of Andre Villa-Boas as Tottenham manager. On Wednesday, it was Tim Sherwood’s who watched his side get taken apart by a rampart City side at White Hart Lane. City won 5-1 and they could easily have scored seven or eight, that os how dominate they were.
In the opening 30 minutes City had over 70% possession and someone only led 1-0 thanks to a Sergio Aguero goal. Aguero could have had a hat-trick in the opening half-hour as he hit the post and brought out a magnificent safe from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Only 1-0 down at half-time, any hope Spurs had of a comeback ended in the 51st minute when Danny Rose was sent off for bringing down Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure tucked home the penalty.
Dzeko made it 3-0 six minutes later, slamming a shot into the roof of the net after Silva’s shot came back off the post, before Etienne Capoue reduced the arrears from a corner.
It gave the hosts a flicker of hope, but Stevan Jovetic, Aguero’s replacement, made the game safe in the 78th minute with his first Premier League goal before captain Vincent Kompany added a fifth at the death.
Chelsea blew a chance to jump over Arsenal in the table, but they cannot find a way past a stubborn West Ham defense. Jose Mourinho complained about the Hammers parking the bus, but Sam Allardyce will be delighted at the unexpected point.
The point was not enough though to life West Ham out of the bottom three as Adam Johnson scored his sixth goal in six games and Sunderland beat Stoke City 1-0 win.
The match of the day was at Villa Park where Aston Villa beat West Brom 4-3 in a midlands derby.
A 25-yard Chris Brunt half-volley and a Fabian Delph own goal put West Brom 2-0 up inside only nine minutes, but, just as they did in the reverse fixture, Villa fought back to level.
Goals from Andreas Weimann and Leandro Bacuna gave Paul Lambert’s side parity and Delph then atoned for his earlier error by putting the hosts ahead with a vicious rising shot in the 37th minute.
Youssouf Mulumbu equalised for West Brom just before the interval, but Christian Benteke secured victory for Villa in the 64th minute when he converted a penalty after being brought down by Diego Lugano.
