SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 16 Man City demolish Watford Manchester City hit eight past Watford as scores treble

Leicester’s fast start continues• as James Maddison sinks Spurs with late stunner Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc celebrates after the qualifying session AFP | Manchester

anchester City pow- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ered to their record win on pole for Singapore GP Mas the champions scored five times in the first half of an in- AFP | Singapore credible 8-0 thrashing of Wat- ford, while Leicester enjoyed errari’s Charles Leclerc se- a VAR-assisted 2-1 victory over Fcured pole position for the Tottenham yesterday. Singapore Grand Prix yester- Inspired by Bernardo Silva’s day as he looks to claim a stun- hat-trick, Pep Guardiola’s side ning hat-trick of wins after 5 ripped woeful Watford to pieces triumphs in Belgium and Italy. pole positions have been at the Etihad Stadium, eclipsing Bernardo Silva of Manchester City scores his team’s fourth goal earned by Charles Leclerc The 21-year-old will be this season a 7-0 success against Norwich joined on the front row by in 2013 which stood as their wasn’t enough for City and Ber- ers. “We had a tough start but championship leader Lewis previous biggest top-flight win. nardo struck again with a close- I’m so pleased with the players’ Hamilton in a Mercedes, with Although City fell one goal range finish after another flow- focus.” Leclerc’s teammate Sebastian short of equalling the biggest We’re six games in, ing move in the 48th minute. By contrast, Tottenham have Vettel rounding out the top pionship. Premier League margin of vic- Bernardo completed his first now won just two of their first three, ahead of Red Bull’s Max “I don’t know where Ferrari tory -- Manchester United’s 9-0 we are not getting Premier League treble on the seven games of the season in Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas. picked up their pace but they demolition of Ipswich in 1995 carried away. We had hour with a tap-in from De all competitions and Mauricio Despite winning the last two did a great job,” said Hamilton, -- their swaggering display was a tough start but I’m Bruyne’s cross. Pochettino admitted the VAR races on power-friendly tracks, who lapped in 1:36.408. the perfect way to erase the bit- so pleased with the De Bruyne set City’s new controversy had played a role Ferrari had been given little “I’m really happy to be on ter taste from last weekend’s players’ focus record mark in the Premier in their latest flop. chance of competing under the the front row with them. To- shock defeat at Norwich. BRENDAN RODGERS League when the Belgium mid- Pochettino bemoaned the mo- floodlights at the demanding morrow we can be aggressive.” Second-placed City move to fielder scored the eighth in the mentum swing given to Leices- 23-turn layout in Singapore. Vettel has suffered an erratic within two points of leaders 85th minute. ter by the long stoppage in play But Leclerc and Vettel tore season while his rookie team- Liverpool, who face Chelsea at prior to Aurier’s strike being up the script to gatecrash what mate has shone for the Italian Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Leicester on the rise ruled out for an extremely mar- was expected to be a Mercedes team. The German was quick- City had crushed Watford ing the Argentina striker to 100 At the King Power Stadium, ginal offside against Son Heu- and Red Bull party. est in the first half of the final 6-0 in last season’s FA Cup final home Premier League goals for Leicester proved their creden- ng-min. “I’m extremely happy about part of qualifying until Leclerc and, with injury-plagued left- City. tials to gatecrash the top four as “The emotion of the game today. It was a good lap but and Hamilton edged past him. back Benjamin Mendy making Guardiola had rested Raheem they came from behind to beat changed. The belief it gave to I lost it a few times,” Leclerc “The final attempt should his first start since April, they Sterling, but even without their Tottenham. Leicester made things happen said after completing a 1:36.217 have been better but I was able picked up where they left off star winger City were rampant Harry’s Kane’s improvised differently in the last 10 min- second final lap. to improve run by run. Maybe at Wembley with a goal inside and they made it three in the 29th-minute opener as he stum- utes,” Pochettino said. “I have to thank the team. I peaked too early,” Vettel said. the first minute at the Etihad 12th minute when Mahrez’s bled before flicking home put “I’m only going to say that We brought some new bits that Red Bull’s Alex Albon will Stadium. free-kick hit Watford’s Tom Tottenham ahead. we all accept that system in the worked properly. I worked start sixth on the grid, ahead of Kevin De Bruyne played a su- Cleverley in the head and de- However, the game swung game and now I am not going to hard after a bad Friday and Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, perb ball in from the right, leav- flected past Foster. Leicester’s way after Tottenham complain.” today it paid off,” added Le- Nico Hulkenberg and Lando ing David Silva with the simple Astonishingly, City scored defender Serge Aurier’s goal Burnley beat Norwich 2-0 at clerc, who recorded his fifth Norris. task of poking home from close again in the 15th minute, De midway through the second half Turf Moor, with New Zealand pole position of the season. Dense smog from forest fires range for his first goal of the Bruyne’s corner nodded on by was ruled out by the finest of striker Chris Wood scoring in Hamilton holds a 63-point in neighbouring Indonesia had season. Nicolas Otamendi for Bernardo margins for offside by VAR. the 10th and 14th minutes. lead over Bottas of Mercedes floated over Singapore in the The champions doubled their to head home. The hosts built on that lift Sheffield United piled pres- in the title race with seven past week, sparking concerns lead in the seventh minute after By the time Otamendi fin - immediately as Ricardo Pereira sure on Everton manager Marco rounds remaining. the F1 could be affected. Watford keeper Ben Foster con- ished off Aguero’s cross in the equalised before James Maddi- Silva, whose side were booed off The Briton said he would Air quality hovered around ceded a penalty with a foul on 18th minute, City had estab - son struck the winner from long after a 2-0 defeat at Goodison adopt an aggressive approach “unhealthy” levels in parts of . lished the fastest 5-0 lead in the range five minutes from time. Park, the damage done by Yerry to Sunday’s race in search of a the city yesterday evening but Sergio Aguero coolly slotted Premier League era. “We’re six games in, we are Mina’s 40th-minute own goal ninth victory of the season, as only a light haze was visible in the spot-kick for his eighth The joint biggest half-time not getting carried away,” said and Lys Mousset’s 79th-minute he seeks a sixth world cham- and did not affect the race. goal in six games this term, tak- lead in Premier League history Leicester boss Brendan Rodg- strike.

Zidane would quit Real England all-rounder Coutinho and Lewandowski fire Moeen takes break Bayern top with Cologne rout Madrid without backing from tests AFP | Madrid those high up at the club, ac- AFP | London AFP | Munich cording to reports in the Span- inedine Zidane believes ish press. ngland all-rounder hilippe Coutinho’s first Bay- Zhe has the backing of Real Asked if he felt like his meth- EMoeen Ali has taken a Pern Munich goal and a brace Madrid but admits he would ods were being questioned, Zi- break from test cricket af- from Robert Lewandowski leave if he ever felt he had lost dane said in a press conference ter losing out on a central helped the German champions the club’s support. on Friday: “No, not at all, the contract for the longest for- go top of the Bundesliga with Zidane has come under opposite. I think the club helps mat for the 2019-20 season a 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Co- scrutiny after enduring his us all to be strong and supports following a dismal summer. logne yesterday. worst ever defeat as Madrid all the people that work here. The 32-year-old off-spin- Poland star striker Le - coach on Wednesday, a 3-0 “If it’s ever not like that it ner and left-handed bats- wandowski put Bayern ahead loss to Paris Saint-Germain in would probably be best to man lost his place in Eng- with just 150 seconds gone at the Champions League. leave.” land’s World Cup winning the Allianz Arena after Joshua The result also followed an On his decision to give the team before being dropped Kimmich split the Cologne de- underwhelming start in La players a day off, Zidane add- from the test side after the fence before then doubling the Liga, which has seen Ma- ed: “It’s not a question of defeat in first Ashes test. hosts’ lead with a header from a drid claim two wins and whether they deserve it “It’s just to get away from corner at the start of the season two draws from games or not. We have to give it a little bit. I feel like I half to take his league tally to Robert Lewandowski and Philippe Coutinho celebrate during the match against Celta Vigo, Real them time off. want to enjoy my batting nine in five games. cision, we didn’t talk about it shown a straight red card just Valladolid, Villarreal “They need time with and this will give me a bit Coutinho, on loan from Bar- before the game,” Lewandowski before the penalty for bring- and Levante. their families, they have of a break,” Moeen told ESP- celona, claimed his first Bunde- said of giving Coutinho the ing down Coutinho in the area After returning to be able to rest. We Ncricinfo. “I want to spend sliga goal on the hour by con- spot-kick. when he was one-on-one with from Paris, Zi- have seven games some time with the family.” verting a penalty at the second “It was important for him Cologne stopper Timo Horn. dane gave in 21 days. Ali has played 60 tests, attempt, after Lewandowski here at the Allianz Arena, for Coutinho capped a superb his players They need 101 one-dayers and 25 gave the Brazilian the chance the future and his confidence. display by setting up Ivan Peri- the day off time away Twenty20 internationals despite being on a hat- He is a great player and we must sic to compound Cologne’s mis- on Thurs- and I un - - scoring eight hundreds trick. all help him.” ery by slotting Bayern’s fourth day, which derstand while taking 280 wickets “It was a spontaneous de - Kingsley Ehizibue had been on 73 minutes. surprised that.” across formats. Zinedine Zidane