Manchester City laid on a Premier League title party for their fans at the Etihad Stadium, with David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus all taking advantage of Swansea’s flimsy resistance.
On duty for the first time since being crowned champions, Pep Guardiola’s side delighted their joyous home support with a wonderful display of their attacking qualities and a 5-0 scoreline.
De Bruyne scored the pick of the bunch with a vicious long-range blast and the only bum note, Jesus’ penalty miss, was rectified when Bernardo Silva swept home the rebound.
Tweet of the match
Star man
Kevin De Bruyne. Not head and shoulders above his fellow playmakers Sterling and David Silva, but the Belgian set the tone for City’s hunger on a day where they might easily have coasted. His passing was of the usual impeccable standard and his blazing finish capped the performance.
In with the crowd
Having secured the title on a day off, City fans took the chance to bask in the achievement. Commemorative scarves, shirts and flags were out in force, regular chants of “champions” filled the rare on-field lulls and they were in good enough spirits to demand “give it to Ederson” when Sterling won the penalty.
How many took up the offer, made via the electronic hoardings, to “celebrate in Abu Dhabi, 3 nights from £359” remains to be seen, though.
Six of the best
Silva’s opening goal made him the sixth City player to reach double figures this season – following Sergio Aguero, Sterling, Jesus, Leroy Sane and De Bruyne.
Ratings
Man City: Ederson 6/10, Danilo 7, Vincent Kompany 7, Aymeric Laporte 7, Fabian Delph 8, Ilkay Gundogan 7, Bernardo Silva 8, David Silva 8, Kevin De Bruyne 8, Raheem Sterling 8, Gabriel Jesus 6. Substitutes: Yaya Toure (for De Bruyne) 7, Phil Foden (for Sterling) 7, Benjamin Mendy (for Delph) 6.
Swansea: Lukasz Fabianski 5, Mike van der Hoon 5, Alfie Mawson 5, Federico Fernandez 4, Kyle Naughton 5, Martin Olsson 6, Tom Carroll 5, Andy King 5, Ki Sung-yueng 5, Jordan Ayew 5, Andre Ayew 6. Substitutes: Sam Clucas (for Ki) 6, Kyle Bartley (for Fernandez) 6, Tammy Abraham (for Olsson) 5.
Who’s next?
West Ham v Man City (Premier League, Sunday April 29)
Swansea v Chelsea (Premier League, Saturday April 28)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here