SERGIO AGUERO NETTED Manchester City’s 100th goal of the season in all competitions as they thumped Premier League strugglers Hull City 3-1.
Manchester City solidified their grip on a place in the Premier League’s top four as Pep Guardiola’s side took advantage of Hull City’s poor away form to claim a convincing 3-1 victory.
Despite taking time to get into their stride at a sun-soaked Etihad Stadium, City all-but wrapped-up the points three minutes after half-time when Sergio Aguero netted the hosts’ 100th goal in all competitions this term to put the them 2-0 up.
Eldin Jakupovic had been in fine form to keep the scores level early on, though Hull had been undone prior to Aguero’s effort by Ahmed Elmohamady’s 31st-minute own-goal.
Only Everton, Tottenham and Chelsea had won more points in 2017 than Marco Silva’s side heading into Saturday’s clash, though the Tigers – having clawed their way out of the relegation zone in midweek – never looked likely to end their 14-match winless streak on the road.
And the result was duly put beyond all out just after the hour mark when Fabian Delph fired in his first goal of the season, although Claudio Bravo, making his first league start since January in an error-strewn debut season at City, did allow a consolation effort from Andrea Ranocchia to squeak in.
The victory extends the gap between City and fifth-placed Arsenal, who face relegation-threatened Crystal Palace on Monday, to seven points – while Hull remain two points above the drop zone.
Meanwhile, Jordy Clasie scored his first Premier League goal as Southampton got back to winning ways on the road with a 1-0 victory over West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Elsewhere, West Ham put daylight between themselves and the Premier League’s bottom three with a much-needed 1-0 victory over Swansea City to leave Paul Clement’s men deep in the relegation mire.
Five consecutive defeats had left West Ham just five points clear of the 18th-placed visitors, piling pressure on manager Slaven Bilic, but a first win in over two months, courtesy of Cheikhou Kouyate’s goal, relieved a nervy London Stadium.
Finally, Middlesbrough’s winless streak continued as they had to settle for a goalless draw with Burnley at the Riverside Stadium to make it 14 Premier League fixtures without victory.
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