Manchester City have taken another giant stride towards a third Premier League title by overcoming Stoke City 2-0 in Monday night’s clash at the bet365 Stadium.
A goal early in either half from David Silva proved the difference in the end, as the Citizens remained on course to seal the top-flight crown at home to Manchester United next month.
Back-to-back away league wins take Pep Guardiola’s men 16 points clear at the summit with eight games to go.
From their first meaningful attacking move of the match, Man City took the lead via a composed Silva finish past Jack Butland after being picked out 12 yards from goal by returning winger Raheem Sterling.
The visitors were seeing plenty of the ball, stringing together well over 200 passes with a quarter of the match played, yet in the blink of an eye it could easily have been all square.
Stoke’s most dangerous player in Xherdan Shaqiri got the better of makeshift left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko and spotted Badou Ndiaye on the edge of the box, with the Senegalese midfielder’s deflected shot spinning inches wide.
The league leaders soon asserted their authority on the contest, however, with Gabriel Jesus failing to convert from a headed chance a few yards out and Butland getting down to push aside Fernandinho’s edge-of-the-box drive.