5-star City hammers Blackburn
Print Edition
Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko grabbed two goals each and Sergio Aguero scored on his return from injury as Manchester City swept to a 5-0 win over Blackburn in an English FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday in Manchester.
In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower to set up a fourth-round match at home to Watford — another second-tier team.
“It’s an important amount of goals,” said City manager Manuel Pellegrini.
“When I arrived here it was important to try and win a trophy, but in the way this team must play, and it’s important for the fans to come here and know that we are going to try and score the most amount of goals we can.”
City’s largely second-string lineup took a while to get going, with Negredo opening the scoring in first-half injury time, but they were irrepressible after the break.
Aguero scored within a minute of coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute following a month out with a calf injury, capping a perfect night for City manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer said the gap in quality was obvious.
“You saw the difference between a Championship and a Premier League team,” Bowyer said. “That was clinical ... It’s phenomenal.”
The 1-1 draw on January 4 was the only time City had failed to win in its last 10 matches.
Pellegrini said he was happy to be spoiled for choice by his three in-form strikers.
“For me that’s not a problem,” said the Chilean. “It’s a problem when you don’t have the players to choose.
“Alvaro and Edin Dzeko are in a very good moment. It’s very important for the team that Sergio comes back today and he scores in this game.
Pellegrini fielded a shadow side except for Fernandinho in central midfield and Dzeko and Negredo, who have been in great form during the eight-game absence of Aguero.
Negredo, in particular, has been unstoppable and the Spanish striker took his tally in five months to 20 goals.
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