Manchester City powered to a Premier League record 15th successive victory as David Silva’s double inspired a 4-0 demolition of rock-bottom Swansea on Wednesday. Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero also found the net as the runaway leaders broke the previous Premier League record winning streak set by Arsenal between February and August 2002.
Pep Guardiola’s side brushed aside a poor Swansea side to further tighten their grip on the title race with two goals in each half at the Liberty Stadium. City remain 11 points clear of second placed Manchester United and once again looked every inch the champions-elect.
It was Spanish playmaker David Silva who was at the heart of City’s historic success with two superb finishes. The game began at a terrific pace and the first chance fell to Aguero on five minutes as he weaved his way through two challenges and fired into the side-netting.
A minute later some neat footwork gave Raheem Sterling a sight of goal and Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn had to make an important interception.
But it took a save at each end in a matter of moments to keep the scoresheet blank. First, it was home goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski who reacted quickly to get down low and push away a drive from Fernandinho from the edge of the penalty area.
Then Ederson in the Manchester City goal had to get down well to keep out an effort from Jordan Ayew, who had cut in from the left.
De Bruyne blasted a difficult effort high and wide before Aguero headed over from a left-wing cross by David Silva.
Then a free-kick by De Bruyne bounced around the penalty area and struck a frustrated Nicolas Otamendi on its way for a corner before Aguero looped a header onto the roof of the net from a De Bruyne cross. And Otamendi blasted well off target after Fabianski had failed to gather cleanly from a left-wing cross.
The massive gulf in class
City’s superiority was increasing, however, and a combination of poor defending and a fine finish gave them a 27th-minute lead. Bernardo Silva crossed from the right and David Silva crept between Van der Hoorn and Kyle Naughton to finish superbly from close range with the outside of his left foot.
It was 2-0 on 34 minutes when Naughton fouled Sterling to the right of the Swansea penalty area and De Bruyne’s hopeful free-kick evaded a host of players and found its way under the body of an unsighted Fabianski.
Less than a minute into the second half, David Silva almost made it 3-0 with a lofted shot that drifted just wide following a neat exchange of passes with Aguero. But David Silva made no mistake on 53 minutes as he added his side’s third goal, exchanging passes superbly and ghosting between two home defenders before lifting a shot over the advancing Fabianski.
Eliaquim Mangala should have added a fourth goal moments later but, after meeting David Silva’s cross, he failed to make a clean contact and scuffed his effort wide. The visitors then compiled a superb passing move that ended with Aguero firing narrowly wide.
Guardiola had a rare scare when a shot from the edge of the area by Roque Mesa took a big deflection that wrong-footed Ederson, but the keeper readjusted well to make a smart save. With five minutes remaining Aguero wrapped up the scoring as he drifted easily past two Swansea defenders and found the bottom corner.
Even when Swansea threatened a consolation goal late on, Otamendi was on hand to block an effort from Leroy Fer before hooking the loose ball off the line.