8 months ago
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IN the end it was ruthless.
Luton’s brave rearguard action that had lasted for over an hour to keep the scoreline at 1-0 was eventually dismantled.
Getty
EPAThen the floodgates opened.
It is okay Rodri, you have your rest, we can take it from here.
Rodri was allowed to put his feet up after complaining following the 3-3 draw in the Bernabeu that he was tired and needed a rest.
The man who replaced him provided the moment that eased any nerves their might have been in The Etihad.
Mateo Kovacic blasted the ball home on 64 minutes for Manchester City’s second.
A penalty from Erling Haaland on 76 minutes started to give the scoreline a more just reflection of the domination Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed.
A brief response from Ross Barkley on 81 minutes prompted Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol to go back up the end to grab another two.
Pep Guardiola had understandably made changes for this game.
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Still, you can change the names on the Manchester City start sheet but the football and the results stay the same.
They are unbeaten now in their last 27.
Avoid defeat to Madrid on Wednesday and it will be 42 straight unbeaten at home, a record that has stood since set in 1919 and equalled in 1921.
This victory put them back on top for the first time since November with Liverpool and Arsenal both playing on Sunday.
It also helped greatly with the goal difference that could yet decide this great title race.
It was something of a victory for Luton that they actually managed to get to half-time just one-nil down.
The half-time stats were remarkable given that City only had one goal to their name.
City had 78 per cent possession, hit 18 shots to Luton’s non and had 10 corners to the Hatters one.
Still it was only Haaland’s wickedly deflected effort after just 66 seconds of play that separated the team.
Kevin De Bruyne, missing from the game in Madrid due to sickness, supplied one of those sublime through balls that have graced this turf for so long.
Threading the needle, he sent Haaland through one-on-one but Kaminski did brilliant to block his effort.
The ball was still alive with Doku’s own deflected shot that found Haaland again and his miscued volley hit Daiki Hashioka on the head and went past his own goalkeeper.
The same Luton player had also helped Arsenal out with an ‘og’ less than a fortnight ago, the second in a 2-0 win for the Gunners.
Floodgate creaking you would have thought as City immediately piled forward for more.
Gvardiol has clearly got a taste for goal after his spectacular effort in the Bernanbeu.
Receiving the ball about the same distance out as last Tuesday he tried to replicate that goal but this time the goalkeeper was equal to it.
Doku was buzzing around the left flank and when he made it to the byline and pulled the ball back Matheus Nunes was there but his effort was weak and straight at the ‘keeper.
De Bruyne and Haaland linked up again but this time the Norwegian goal machine eased the ball over the bar on the half volley.
On it went. Nunes clipped the far post, De Bruyne had an effort of his own saved at full length and when the half-time whistle went there was a sense of deflation at the scoreline in The Etihad.
That would change by the final whistle as Luton finally whilted after Kovacic’s strike.
Alvarez and Doku played a shot corner between them and the former delivered a ball to the edge of the area which Kovacic caught absolutely perfectly with a scorching volley that fizzed past Kaminski.
A foul by Fred Onyedinma on the lively Doku saw referee John Brookes to the spot and Haaland sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for his 31st goal of the season.
Not bad for a League Two player.
Luton didn’t down tools and a Matheus Nunes mistake even gave their visiting fans something to cheer as Ross Barkley picked a loose ball beat his man and fired across Ederson to score in the 81st minute.
It only served to anger City into a further response.
Doku got the goal his performance deserved on 87 minutes as he wriggled his way into the box before sliding the ball into the net.
Then in injury time up stepped Gvardiol with another stunner.
Ruthless.
PA
Rex
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