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Manchester City beat Watford 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday to bolster their lead at the top of the table.
Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring for the hosts as he poked one in following a pin-point cross from Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Brazilian doubled his side's advantage soon after as he headed in a brilliant cross from Kevin de Bruyne past Ben Foster.
Watford pulled one back in the 28th minute of the game. Hassane Kamara drilled one past Ederson to light a ray of hope. Rodri then scored a thundering goal from outside the box as the Cityzens regained their two-goal advantage before half-time.
Jesus continued his onslaught following the restart. The Brazilian won a penalty and scored from the spot to bring in his hat-trick. Minutes later, he scored once again following some neat work by De Bruyne in the box to set him up.
On that note, here's a look at the five biggest talking points from the game:
#5 Manchester City look set for Real Madrid
What better way to head into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League than an emphatic win, right? This drubbing would have given City a massive boost as they face Real Madrid mid-week.
The Cityzens over the years have failed to show strength in the progressive stages of the competition. They will be looking to turn a new page in their history books.
Pep Guardiola even subbed off De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte and Rodri early as he had the midweek game against Los Blancos in mind. He would want his key players fully rested for the massive game.
#4 Kevin de Bruyne raises the temperature
Kevin de Bruyne was a doubt for the Champions League tie against Real Madrid. He picked up a calf injury against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the UCL. However, not only did he make a stunning recovery, he did it in some style.
The Belgium international made two assists against Watford. He also won three duels, made five recoveries, won one tackle, made three clearances and created four chances throughout his stay on the pitch. De Bruyne orchestrated the tempo of the game as he trumped the midfield battle.
#3 Manchester City go toe-to-toe with Liverpool
City kept the pressure on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. The Reds, following their win over Manchester United midweek, closed the gap down to just one point. However, with the win over Watford, City now sit at the top of the table with 80 points after 33 games.
Liverpool trail them by four points as they sit in second spot with 76 points after having played 32 games so far. It will be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp's men can keep the title race on as they face Everton at Anfield on Sunday.
#2 Watford were no match for Manchester City
From the starting whistle, Manchester City were ruthless as they completely outclassed 19th-placed Watford. The Manchester City attackers were all over Watford. De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Jesus wrecked havoc upfront.
They moved the ball with such fluidity and the way they created their moves left Watford defenders in a lurch. The Cityzens looked threatening every time they moved higher up the pitch. They made 21 attempts in 90 minutes, with eight of them being on target!
Watford could have conceded more had Manchester City maintained their intensity.
#1 Gabriel Jesus steals the show
Gabriel Jesus scored four goals against Watford and registered an assist. The Brazilian was a menace every time he touched the ball. Jesus smacked multiple records with his stellar performance as he was involved in all five goals Manchester City scored.
Jesus became the first Brazilian to score at least four goals in a Premier League match. He also became the first player to score four goals in a single Premier League game since Son Heung-min against Southampton in September 2020.
He won five duels, made seven recoveries, created three chances and made two interceptions. He also completed one dribble and made one clearance throughout the game. It was an all-round performance by the Brazilian.
