Key factors from West Ham vs. Manchester City

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 06: Pep Guardiola the manager of Manchester City and Yaya Toure of Manchester City during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on January 6, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 06: Pep Guardiola the manager of Manchester City and Yaya Toure of Manchester City during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on January 6, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
6 of 6
Manchester City v Sunderland - Premier League
Manchester City v Sunderland - Premier League

City 4-0 Penalty

Anyone who has got to this point of my article and doesn’t think this penalty needed to be called should give their heads a shake. And then another. Sterling, who has often been criticized for not staying on his feet enough, deserved this one. After their last Premier League match against Tottenham, Sterling did the right thing by trying to get a shot away after a clear push from Kyle Walker. On this, he had no other choice than to take Jose Fonte head-on and accept the penalty.

I’m categorizing this as a key moment because City already had dominance throughout the game but this was the icing on the cake moment of the second half. This goal, showed that City wouldn’t give up and sit back. When you need to make up a fairly significant goal cushion against your competition, you go for it! Aguero was brought on (probably for good measure) late in the game but had no reason to go out of his way to score a goal. He provided stability, support and slowed the match down all together.

Next: Gabriel Jesus: The magic of the FA Cup

City played a fantastic game today, a team effort indeed. If they do not award the Man of the Match to Sane, I will be surprised but there were quite a few players out on the pitch today that deserve an honorable mention. This team has not been at their best this season but after today’s match, their opponents should take note.

Common City!