Kelechi Iheanacho stars as Manchester City thump Stoke before Madrid clash
With Real Madrid very much in mind, Saturday's 4-0 win over Stoke could not really have gone much better for Manchester City.
After a slow start the match developed into a stroll for the home side with various other benefits to be gleaned along the way.
The 2-0 half time lead allowed manager Manuel Pellegrini to rest David Silva and Sergio Aguero, sparing them more hard work with Tuesday's semifinal first leg against Madrid in mind. In their place, Fabian Delph and Wilfried Bony held the fort adequately, allowing young Kelechi Iheanacho to steal the headlines with a cool two-goal flourish.
The 19-year-old has waited for his chance patiently this season, often seeing Bony chosen ahead of him, but here was an ideal opportunity to showcase a rare talent.
Cool as a cucumber in front of goal, the Nigerian bagged a brace as City moved smoothly back into third place above Arsenal in the hunt for automatic Champions League qualification.
It is to the present edition of the same competition that all eyes are now trained.
(Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):
GK Joe Hart, 7 -- Tested by Glenn Whelan early on and had to deal with a stinging drive from Marko Arnautovic after a slip by Jesus Navas but it was a comfortable afternoon's work overall.
DF Pablo Zabaleta, 8 -- Celebrated his 300th City appearance by storming up the right flank, his driving run taking him deep into the box before providing Iheanacho with his first goal. A testing afternoon with Arnautovic on his side but played the Austrian expertly.
DF Eliaquim Mangala, 7 -- Little to do for long periods of the game, as a great deal of Stoke's useful buildup play came to an abrupt end just after crossing the halfway line. Dogged in his defending but provided the usual slipshod pass out of defence that seems to occur at least once a match.
DF Nicolas Otamendi, 7 -- Less rash in the tackle than of late and relatively smooth in controlling the threat from Arnautovic and Joselu. Dispossessed needlessly by the raiding Arnautovic during an early spell of attacking after half time, when Stoke had evidently been given a talking to by manager Mark Hughes.
DF Aleksandar Kolarov, 6 -- Slow to get into the game during initial period of play when Stoke were stringing some passes together. Effective later when involved in increased traffic down the left flank and free to attack at will later on.
MF Yaya Toure, 7 -- Given a lively afternoon's work looking after the energetic Giannelli Imbula in the central areas, but strolled imperiously through the second period as Stoke's threat withered completely. Picked up a knock near the end and limped off in obvious pain.
MF David Silva, 7 -- Made a busy start to the game but was somewhat underused thereafter, before getting back into things as the goals began to flow. Showed some nice touches before being spared further work by the boss after just 56 minutes. Still not close to his dazzling best, though.
MF Fernando, 8 -- The combination of a Navas cross that found its man and the resultant goal from Fernando's glancing header inside the far post will have been almost rare enough to shake the earth off its axis. Usual steady ticking over in the middle and also taken off with Tuesday in mind, showing how important he has become in the holding role.
MF Jesus Navas, 8 -- Made it simple for Fernando for the first goal with a lovely corner in from the right and had been part of the move that won the corner in the first place. Instrumental in a lot of City's most piercing play going forward.
FW Kelechi Iheanacho, 9 -- Clear man of the match performance from a prospect who is ending the season with very encouraging scoring stats. He has 11 goals from a total of 15 shots on target this season. An ice cool finisher. Also pulled back by Ryan Shawcross for the penalty Aguero converted to make it 2-0.
FW Sergio Aguero, 7 -- Such a clever mover with and without the ball. Closely marked wherever he went, but constantly available and able to finish clinically above Shay Given's right hand to make it 2-0 before the break. This is the fourth time he has managed to score in five successive games since joining City.
Substitutes:
MF Fabian Delph, 7 -- Shored up midfield after replacing David Silva on 56 minutes. With all eyes on Madrid, he knew he was doing a covering job for the star attractions but filled in capably enough. Looked much more comfortable in the middle than he had done previously wide left.
FW Wilfried Bony, 6 -- Ended up becoming the provider instead of the scorer, his pass putting his strike partner Iheanacho through for the fourth goal.
DF Martin Demichelis, N/R -- On for Fernando after 72 minutes. Had little serious work to do in a midfield being comfortably bossed by City by this stage, but helped close the gaps and kept things tight.
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