Watford 1-2 Man City: Isaac Success Stars in EPL Three-Goal Thriller

 

• FT: Watford 1-2 Man City
• City go five points clear
• Sane gives City lead (40)
• Mahrez with second (51)
• Doucoure halves deficit (85)

 

Nigerian international Isaac Success was in action to the later stage with brilliant team play for his side in a Tuesday night match that saw Pep Guardiola’s unstoppable men marching on – but only after a late scare from Watford.

Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez fired the champions to a seventh straight league win which extended their lead at the top of the table to five points.

Guardiola was able to give one of his in-form wide boys, Raheem Sterling, a deserved night off at Vicarage Road.

But Sane and Mahrez simply picked up the reins.

Sane followed up his dazzling display and two assists against Bournemouth with the opener.

And Mahez appeared to wrap up a largely one-sided win with an emphatic finish early in the second half.

But after Abdoulaye Doucouré pulled one back heading into stoppage time, the Hornets applied late pressure to leave City grateful to escape with a narrow win on paper.

Watford had beaten the defending champions at home in the previous two seasons but never looked like making it a hat-trick of wins.

They hardly got a kick in the first half an hour and needed Ben Foster to keep them in it.

At one stage the overworked Hornets stopper was called on to pull off a remarkable triple save to deny Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and then David Silva.

Ederson then matched Foster, making a brilliant save of his own when he stuck out a boot having dived in the opposite direction, to deny Watford skipper Troy Deeney an against the run of play opener.

And City’s overall dominance finally paid off four minutes before the break when Sane chested in Mahrez’s cross.