Barry picks up the ball on the halfway line and quickly tries to find Sturridge with a lofted pass forward, but it's totally overhit and bounces straight into the hands of Ederson. That should be that for the home side.
90' +2
Audacious effort by Diaz! City immediately hit the visitors on a quick counter-attack after dealing with the danger, and it's Diaz who storms towards the box. The youngster then tries to beat Foster with a cheeky chip from the edge of the penalty area, but it ends up landing on the roof of the net instead of finding the back of it.
90' +1
Another huge opportunity for West Brom! This time it's Phillips who manages to charge into the left-hand side of the City box before getting a shot away, but it's comfortably saved by Ederson at the near post.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
S. Agüero has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by R. Sterling.
Once again, Sterling did really well to set up a goal with a brilliant run and pass. He's become an increasing threat as the game has worn on, and he's certainly making life a misery for the Baggies back line.
GOAL! It's another for City! Sterling spins round Rodriguez on the halfway line before sprinting forward on a wonderful run. He reaches the edge of the West Brom and pokes the ball up to Aguero, who lifts a lovely shot over Foster and into the back of the net to wrap up a comfortable victory for the Premier League leaders.
88'
Sturridge hits the side-netting! West Brom are easily able to deal with the second corner before breaking forward on a great counter-attack. Sturridge somehow manages to break through the City back line before shooting, but his first effort is blocked by Walker before his second rolls into the side-netting. What a chance that was!
87'
Gundogan is eventually able to curl the resulting free-kick into the penalty area, where it's nodded behind for a corner by Barry. The set-piece is sent shot and worked up to Otamendi, who nods the ball down and goes close to setting up Laporte to score on his debut. City have to settle for another corner though.
85'
M. Phillips gets yellow.
Ouch! Diaz breaks down the left wing on a marauding run before being clattered into by a high challenge from Phillips. The City players and fans all scream for a red card, but the referee only decides to book the winger. That's a big call, and it's one that Guardiola isn't at all happy about!
84'
Two wonderful chances for City! After dealing with the corner, the home side immediately break forward on a blisteringly quick counter-attack. Sterling charges towards the box and tees up Diaz, who goes close to scoring but has his rather tame effort easily saved by Foster. The ball then rolls out to Bernardo Silva, who unleashes a strike of his own that flies into the side-netting.
83'
No, they can't. Ederson, who has been a spectactor for the majority of the evening, is easily able to collect the ball in the middle of the goal after it's overhit by McClean.
Minute
Description
82'
Sturridge receives the ball for the first time tonight before setting up Phillips, who breaks into the box and wins his side's first corner of the net after playing a pass off Otamendi. Can they do anything with it?
81'
Diaz makes a nuisance of himself over on the left wing once again before managing to tee up Aguero on the edge of the West Brom box. The Argentine can't do much with the ball, however, as he immediately has it poked away from under his nose.
79'
Walker almost makes it 3-0! Diaz immediately gets involved in the game as he links up nicely with Aguero out wide. He then fires a great cross into the box that Foster can only flap out to Walker, who quickly shoots but sends his strike just wide of the far post.
78'
D. Sturridge enters the game and replaces S. Rondón.
Brahim Díaz enters the game and replaces K. De Bruyne.
City have made their second alteration of the evening, with De Bruyne making way for Brahim Diaz.
Meanwhile, West Brom have brought on former City striker Daniel Sturridge to replace Rondon and make his debut for the club.
76'
Sterling breaks down the left flank after latching onto a clever cross-field pass from Aguero. He cuts towards the penalty area and fizzes the ball across the face of goal, where Gundogan tries to latch onto it at the near post but can't quite do so.
75'
S. Rondón gets yellow.
The referee has a long chat with Rondon and eventually shows him a yellow card for his poor conduct. It's no surprise to hear the City fans wanted the striker to be punished further.
74'
There's a bit of a coming together between Rondon and a few of the City players after he seemed to catch Otamendi in the side of the face as they battled for the ball. He then had a little kick out at Laporte, who didn't react well to the Venezuelan's conduct.
72'
Another poor challenge deep inside the visitors' half of the pitch results in a free-kick for City 25 yards away from goal. De Bruyne steps up and unleashes a great shot, but once again Foster does well to stop it from finding the back of the net.
70'
Audacious effort by De Bruyne! The attacking midfielder spots Foster off his line and tries to catch him out with a thumping shot from 30 yards out, but the goalkeeper does well to dart across the goal and push the strike away with an acrobatic save.
69'
McClean tried to wipe out De Bruyne with a cynical sliding challenge as the attacking midfielder ran towards goal, and he's immediately shown a yellow card as soon as the ball beats Foster.
68'
K. De Bruyne has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by R. Sterling.
J. McClean gets yellow.
That was clever play by Sterling, who could have gone for goal himself but instead decided to knock the ball back to his Belgian team-mate. He hasn't been at his best tonight but Guardiola will certainly be happy with his decision making there.
GOAL! It's 2-0 to City! An attempted West Brom attack fails to come to anything and the home side quickly break forward. De Bruyne charges towards the box before playing a one-two with Sterling, and he's then easily able to tap a low shot past Foster and into the back of the net.
67'
City certainly are ramping up the pressure now as they try to put this game to bed. They started the second half in slightly sluggish fashion but are really making the West Brom back line sweat as they keep piling bodies forward.
65'
Great save by Foster! Bernardo Silva gets himself into a wonderful position on the edge of the penalty area and gets a shot away, but Foster pulls off a wonderful diving stop to deny the Portuguese.
63'
Gundogan links up well with Sterling over on the left-hand side of the West Brom box before curling a cross over to the far post. It sails past Aguero before finding Bernardo Silva, who's put off by Hegazi and can't make decent contact with the ball.
62'
Walker is able to get back to his feet and the game gets underway once again. De Bruyne quickly whips a cross into the box from the right flank, but his ball in is poor and can't beat the first man.
61'
There are some concerned looks over on the City bench once again as Walker lies on the floor in pain. The full-back seemed to get caught late by Allan Nyom, but the referee didn't decide to award the home side a free-kick, much to the annoyance of the majority of the fans inside the stadium.
59'
Aguero bursts through the middle of the pitch on a great run after managing to wriggle away from two West Brom players. He then looks set to penetrate the penalty area, but Hegazi is there to make sure he doesn't with a well-timed tackle.
57'
James McClean twists and turns over on the left flank after West Brom are able to push forward on a rare attacking move. He eventually cuts onto his right foot and swings a cross into the box, but it's completely overhit and sails far away from Rondon.
55'
M. Phillips enters the game and replaces S. Field.
West Brom have made their second change of the night, with Matt Phillips coming on to replace Field.
54'
City burst forward on another swift counter-attack after space emerges over on the right wing, but a deep cross can't quite find Sterling, who is beaten to the ball by Dawson over at the far post.
52'
A West Brom free-kick somehow results in a blisteringly quick City counter-attack. Walker breaks down the right flank after Sterling is momentarily dispossessed before firing a low cross into the box, where Aguero pulls off a clever back-heeled flick that forces Foster into making a decent save.
50'
City patiently knock the ball around deep inside the West Brom half of the pitch as they try to carve out another decent chance on goal, but a poor pass from Sterling fails to find De Bruyne and rolls out for a throw-in.
48'
What a chance for Sterling to make it 2-0! Gundogan bursts through the middle of the pitch on a great run before picking out Sterling in a pocket of space in front of goal. He easily gets the better of Dawson before shooting, but he somehow fires his effort wide of the far post. He really should have buried that!
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +3
Rondon is pushed to the ground midway inside the City half of the pitch, and West Brom win themselves another free-kick in a good position. It's chipped over to the right-hand side of the penalty area and finds Dawson, who nods the ball towards Hegazi but can't quite find the centre-back in front of goal.
45' +2
De Bruyne makes a clever run into the left-hand side of the visitors' box and manages to latch onto a well-placed lofted pass. He then tries to tee up Sterling with a deft poke, but Foster reads the danger well and is there to dive on the ball.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
43'
Fernandinho charges through the middle of the pitch and towards the West Brom penalty area after Barry is barged off the ball by Laporte, but just as the Brazilian is able to reach the edge of the box, the referee awards a free-kick to the visitors for the defender's sliding challenge.
41'
Field is pushed to the ground by Otamendi out wide, earning West Brom a rare free-kick inside the City half of the pitch. It's fired forwards by Hegazi, but the Egyptian can't pick out a team-mate on the edge of the hosts' box and the danger is easily dealt with.
39'
İ. Gündoğan enters the game and replaces David Silva.
David Silva does indeed gingerly make his way off the pitch to be replaced by Ilkay Gundogan.
38'
David Silva seems to be struggling, and he isn't moving particularly well at the moment. He momentarily went off the pitch a few minutes ago to receive a bandage to his side, and the game has stopped again after the Spaniard pulled up lame. This could be the end of his night.
36'
Excellent save by Foster! De Bruyne pounces on a mistake by Yacob before darting deep into the West Brom half of the pitch. He reaches the edge of the box and plays a quick one-two with Aguero before shooting, but his thumping effort is well stopped by Foster.
34'
Aguero pulls off a lovely flicked pass over on the left flank that sets up De Bruyne to charge forward. He then cuts into the penalty area and tries to get past Dawson, but he's unable to do so and cheaply loses the ball.
33'
G. Barry enters the game and replaces G. Krychowiak.
It's been a tough opening half an hour for Krychowiak, who has trudged off the pitch to be replaced by Gareth Barry. The midfielder receives a warm reception from the home fans as he comes on.
32'
David Silva gets yellow.
Silva becomes the first player to receive a yellow card after catching Claudio Yacob with a late challenge that left the referee with no choice but to book the Spaniard.
30'
There's slight concern over on the City bench as Fernandinho has gone down and looks to be in quite a bit of discomfort. He was charged into by Krychowiak, leaving him in a heap on the floor.
28'
Great chance for De Bruyne to make it 2-0! The West Brom defence is split open by Aguero, who sets up De Bruyne with a lovely dinked pass. The Belgian breaks into the box and shoots, but his low strike is uncharacteristically tame and fails to beat Foster.
27'
Sam Field is able to get involved in the game for the first time after breaking down the left flank, but his swinging cross fails to find a team-mate and is easily dealt with by Nicolas Otamendi.
25'
Good play by Fernandinho and Aguero in the middle of the pitch sets up Sterling to cut inside and try and pick out the Argentine inside the box. He isn't quite able to do so, however, as his pass is played slightly behind the striker.
23'
It was always going to be the case, but it really has been a very tough start to the game for West Brom. They've barely been able to break out of their own half of the pitch, leaving them sitting incredibly deep as they desperately try to deal with their determined opponents.
21'
David Silva is clumsily caught by Krychowiak, and City are awarded a free-kick in a promising position out wide. They're unable to make it count though, as De Bruyne's cross is a poor one and fails to beat the first man.
19'
Fernandinho has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by K. De Bruyne.
That really was a great, defence-splitting pass from De Bruyne, but McAuley really should have done better defensively. He was too slow in trying to deal with the pass and was caught napping by a clever run from Fernandinho.
GOAL! De Bruyne cuts inside from the left wing before sending a wonderful pass into the West Brom penalty area. Fernandinho easily skips past Gareth McAuley and onto the ball, which he then calmly dispatches past the outstretched limbs of Foster.
18'
De Bruyne pokes a clever pass into the left-hand side of the Baggies box, where it finds Bernardo Silva on the byline. He quickly cuts a pass back to Sterling, who is in a good position to shoot, but Hegazi is just about able to get a boot on the ball ahead of the winger.
16'
With 16 minutes on the clock, West Brom are finally able to break away on their first attack of the night. Salomon Rondon does really well to outmuscle his marker before trying to set up Jay Rodriguez out wide, but his strike partner can't quite keep the ball in play and it rolls out for a City throw-in.
14'
Walker is easily able to get down the right flank before spinning and finding De Bruyne just outside of the penalty area. The Belgian looks set to cross but instead tries to take Foster by surprise with a curling shot, and it's one that the goalkeeper does well to parry away after quickly adjusting his feet.
12'
Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker link up well over on the right wing before the latter fires a deflected low cross behind for a corner. The set-piece is poorly executed, however, as Kevin De Bruyne's low pass fails to find a team-mate at the near post.
10'
Laporte, who has started the game brightly, charges into the West Brom half of the pitch before trying to pick out David Silva on the edge of the visitors' box. His pass is slightly overhit, however, and the Spaniard can't quite get to it ahead of Ahmed Hegazi.
8'
David Silva goes down inside the box, but nothing is given! The Spaniard plays a quick one-two with Aguero just outside of the penalty area before bursting inside and going down under a tackle from Craig Dawson. The City players and fans immediately scream for a penalty, but the referee isn't at all interested and allows play to go on.
6'
Aymeric Laporte receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he fires an excellent cross-field pass over to the right wing and straight into the feet of Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese quickly cuts inside and works the ball over to Sterling, who tries to set up David Silva on the edge of the box but isn't quite able to do so.
4'
Aguero drops deep and picks up the ball before charging towards the penalty area, where he's barged over from behind by Grzegorz Krychowiak and wins his side a free-kick in a very dangerous position. It's David Silva who steps up and shoots, but his strike is sent straight into the wall.
2'
City quickly go on the front foot as they put plenty of early pressure on their visitors. Raheem Sterling breaks down the left wing on a great run before cutting into the box and fizzing a pass across the face of goal, where Sergio Aguero tries to latch onto the ball but can't quite reach it ahead of Ben Foster.
1'
We're off! West Brom get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium.
City’s dreams of quadruple success remain very much alive thanks to recent cup wins, with victories over both Bristol City and Cardiff City seeing them progress to the final and fifth round, respectively, of the EFL and FA Cup. Those wins have kick-started another run of victories that looks set to be extended here tonight, but as Liverpool proved two weeks ago, there are certainly some chinks in the Sky Blues’ armour.
City were finally beaten by Jurgen Klopp’s hard-working men to end an incredible run in the Premier League, but, despite that loss, the title is arguably as good as theirs, even with five months left to go. They remain 12 points clear of nearest challengers Manchester United after returning to winning ways against Newcastle United, and they head into this evening’s clash having won 37 of their last 41 games across all competitions.
The latter half of 2017 proved to be a pretty miserable period for a West Brom side that desperately struggled to pick up wins, but they’ve started the new year in much better form and begin the night with three wins from their last four games. Only one of those - against Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago - came in the league, however, and recent successes for the teams around them have left them rooted to the bottom of the table.
Nonetheless, the Baggies certainly head into this evening’s big clash feeling much more confident than they did when these two teams last met back in October. Saturday’s excellent FA Cup victory away to Liverpool was a much-needed morale booster for Alan Pardew’s side, who could drag themselves out of the relegation zone with a spectacular victory here tonight.
It’s going to be incredibly tough though, as not only do City boast an excellent record in the Premier League this season, they’ve also absolutely dominated this fixture in recent years. All of the last 12 meetings between the two sides have ended in victories for the Citizens, with West Brom last managing to hold them to a draw way back in December 2011. Their last league win in this part of Manchester, meanwhile, came exactly 15 years ago.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
West Bromwich Albion XI (4-4-2): Foster; Nyom, Dawson, Hegazi, McAuley; Field, Yacob, Krychowiak, McClean; Rondon, Rodriguez.
Manchester City substitutes: Bravo, Adarabioyo, Danilo, Kompany, Toure, Gundogan, Diaz.
Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Otamendi, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva; Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling.
Pep Guardiola has decided to make five changes to the City side that beat Cardiff on the weekend, with the most notable inclusion being new signing Aymeric Laporte, who takes the place of Vincent Kompany in the centre of defence. Also in the starting line-up are Ederson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, David Silva and Sergio Aguero, who replace Claudio Bravo, Danilo, Ilkay Gundogan and the injured Leroy Sane.
Meanwhile, West Brom boss Alan Pardew has made six alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Jonny Evans, Kieran Gibbs, Jake Livermore, Gareth Barry, Chris Brunt and Hal Robson-Kanu making way for Ahmed Hegazi, Gareth McAuley, Sam Field, Claudio Yacob, James McClean and Jay Rodriguez. There's also a place on the substitutes' bench for Daniel Sturridge, who on Monday joined the club on loan for the remainder of the season.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 WEST BROMWICH ALBION
It's been relatively plain sailing so far for City, who are able to head into the half-time break with a comfortable lead under their belts. They've been on the front foot since the first whistle and have barely been troubled by a West Brom that side that have struggled to break out of their own half of the pitch. The hosts haven't quite been at their best, however, and Pep Guardiola will no doubt want to see some more attacking intent from them in the second half.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 WEST BROMWICH ALBION
City were on the front foot from the first second to the last and deservedly leave with yet another victory. It's a very important one, too, as their nearest challengers Manchester United have suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur, while fourth-place Chelsea were also beaten tonight. That means Guardiola's men now sit 15 points clear at the top of the table. Surely nobody is going to be able to catch them?
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