Norwich 0-4 Manchester City: Premier League – live reaction! | Football | The Guardian — theguardian.com

2.40pm EST 14:40 Nick Ames was at Carrow Road this evening. His report for the Observer has landed, and here it is. Managers still to be interviewed, of course, so don’t leave us yet. Raheem Sterling hits hat-trick in easy Manchester City win at Norwich 2.31pm EST 14:31 Raheem Sterling - who scored a perfect hat-trick, left foot, right foot, header - talks to Sky. “We take it one step at a time, keep chipping away at it. Get in the right areas, and the goals will come. Our mindset is that we keep wanting to win. We’ll not rest on our laurels. To be a top team, it’s every three days, and that’s the challenge to us, to win every three days.” 2.23pm EST 14:23 Guardiola gathers his men and shoves them towards their fans. They soak up the applause, and give a little back, too. The away end deserves it: they’ve been bouncing all evening. Norwich asked a couple of questions of the leaders in the first half hour, but once the dam broke, there was no hope for the Canaries. They remain in the bottom three, with a trip to Anfield coming up next. Manchester City meanwhile take one more serene step towards the title. 2.20pm EST 14:20 FULL TIME: Norwich City 0-4 Manchester City The whistle goes, and Manchester City go 12 points clear at the top again. 2.19pm EST 14:19 90 min +3: Sterling wins Sky’s man of the match award. No great surprise there! 2.19pm EST 14:19 90 min +2: Sterling completes a busy evening by picking up a booking for hauling Dowell to the ground. 2.18pm EST 14:18 90 min +1: There will be three added minutes, and the first flies by without incident. 2.17pm EST 14:17 GOAL! Norwich City 0-4 Manchester City (Sterling 90) Sterling misses the penalty, telegraphing his kick towards the bottom right. Gunn saves well, but the ball breaks back across the face of goal and Sterling completes his hat-trick from a couple of yards. Sterling sees his penalty kick saved but gets the rebound. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images Updated at 2.23pm EST 2.15pm EST 14:15 Penalty for Manchester City 89 min: Delap chases a pass down the inside-left channel and scampers into the box. He’s barged over by Hanley, and the ref points to the spot. 2.13pm EST 14:13 87 min: Williams bursts through a gap down the left but overruns the ball upon reaching the Manchester City box. Goal kick. Norwich send on Dowell in place of Sargent. 2.11pm EST 14:11 85 min: Williams tries to release Pukki down the inside-left channel but gets way too much on the pass. Ederson deals with the situation. 2.10pm EST 14:10 83 min: McAtee clumsily stands on Rashica’s heel. The Norwich man felt that. Also it’s an opportunity to go down to eat up some time, with the home side very much in damage-limitation mode. 2.07pm EST 14:07 82 min: Foden is replaced by Delap. Updated at 2.08pm EST 2.04pm EST 14:04 78 min: Well, it is a chance, but they don’t get one. Gibson wins a header, but only loops weakly into the air, gifting Ederson an easy pluck. 2.03pm EST 14:03 77 min: Pukki is never going to beat Foden in a foot race down the left, but he’s wily enough to earn a cheap free kick by clanking into the Manchester City midfielder. Chance for a consolation? 2.02pm EST 14:02 75 min: Sterling is wrestled off the ball by Gibson. Free kick to the left of the Norwich D. Before it’s taken, Silva is replaced by McAtee. Then the free kick is lumped into the mixer, the ball twanging off Fernandinho’s chest and over the bar from close range. 1.59pm EST 13:59 73 min: The Manchester City fans are giving it plenty, as they have been all evening. They can sense a fourth title in five years now. 1.58pm EST 13:58 72 min: McLean busies himself down the right and wins a corner. Byram competes for the ball, but it sails gently into Ederson’s arms. 1.57pm EST 13:57 71 min: ... and there’s even more good news, as Walker is back up and running. 1.56pm EST 13:56 GOAL! Norwich City 0-3 Manchester City (Sterling 70) As Walker sits it out getting treatment, one corner leads to another, then Dias nods across the face of goal, left to right, allowing Sterling to head home from close range. Something for Manchester City fans to cheer this time. Sterling celebrates City’s third goal with teammates. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters Updated at 2.03pm EST 1.55pm EST 13:55 68 min: Something for Norwich fans to cheer, as Walker, flying to win a corner down the right, disappears over the advertising hoardings. He gets no sympathy whatsoever, but it looks as though he’s hurt himself. 1.54pm EST 13:54 67 min: Zinchenko glides down the left and into the box, but overhits his cross with white shirts queuing up to head home from six yards. 1.52pm EST 13:52 65 min: Pukki has trouble Ake on more than one occasion this evening, and now his harrying down the right forces the Manchester City defender into the concession of a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece. 1.50pm EST 13:50 64 min: Mahrez drops a shoulder to make space down the right, and whips a shot into the side netting. That was overly ambitious given the angle he was faced with, and the fact he had team-mates in the centre waiting to tap home. 1.49pm EST 13:49 63 min: Norwich make a double change, replacing Aarons and Lees-Melou with Byram and Normann. 1.47pm EST 13:47 61 min: Rashica is found in a little bit of space by the left-hand corner of the Manchester City box. He whistles a shot straight at Ederson, who hasn’t had much to do since his team-mates took the lead. 1.46pm EST 13:46 60 min: Walker hangs out a leg to cynically trip an in-flight Williams, and is lucky not to concede a foul, never mind receive a booking. 1.44pm EST 13:44 58 min: Sterling turns Aarons inside out like an old sock. He enters the box. Aarons, falling down dizzy, lightly clips his heel. Sterling does him a favour by not going down for what would have surely been a certain penalty. Sterling settles for a corner, from which nothing comes. 1.42pm EST 13:42 55 min: The Norwich fans would have started to dream of a repeat of 2019 after 29 minutes or so. Now, with Manchester City strolling around imperiously, they’re pretty deflated. Only the away end can be heard right now. 1.40pm EST 13:40 53 min: They nearly take that goal-difference advantage to five, as Ake sticks out a leg to meet Gundogan’s corner from the left. Leaning back, he scoops the ball over, scraping the top of the bar. Norwich goalkeeper Gunn watches the ball over. Photograph: Rui Vieira/AP Updated at 1.58pm EST 1.39pm EST 13:39 52 min: Manchester City may fancy boosting their goal difference now. As things stand, they’ve got a four-goal advantage over Liverpool (as well as the small matter of the 12 points, obviously). 1.37pm EST 13:37 50 min: Hanley made a good stab of clearing that shot - Foden should never have given him any chance whatsoever - but the scuffed shot rolled a good few inches over the line. 1.35pm EST 13:35 GOAL! Norwich City 0-2 Manchester City (Foden 48) Sterling’s cute reverse pass down the left releases Gundogan into the Norwich box. Gundogan rolls across for Foden, six yards out. He should score, but slams his shot straight at Gunn. He then does score - just - by prodding the rebound over the line. Hanley hooks clear, but the referee’s watch buzzes, and Manchester City will be 12 points clear of Liverpool this evening. Phil Foden City’s second goal. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters Updated at 1.47pm EST 1.19pm EST 13:19 Half-time entertainment. Harry Kane single-handedly offers glimmer of light amid gloom at Spurs | Barney Ronay 1.17pm EST 13:17 HALF TIME: Norwich City 0-1 Manchester City The rampant leaders could have had a hatful ... though Norwich held on for half an hour, and even came close to taking the lead when Hanley headed against the post. Either way, as things stand, Manchester City will go 12 points clear this evening. 1.15pm EST 13:15 45 min: Aarons should gather a loose Foden pass down the left, but hovers aimlessly and allows Sterling to nip in front of him. Aarons responds by shoving Sterling in the back. A free kick that’s effectively a corner on the left. Gundogan swings in. Gunn claims. There will be one added minute. Gundogan shoots at goal. Photograph: Tim Keeton/EPA Updated at 1.30pm EST 1.13pm EST 13:13 43 min: Walker crosses low from the right. Gibson stoops to head behind for Manchester City’s nth corner of the half. The corner’s cut back for Foden, who launches a shot that’s already travelled halfway to Ipswich. 1.11pm EST 13:11 41 min: Dias sprays a pass down the left. Norwich collectively attempt to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. Sterling doesn’t give it up, and stops it on the byline. Fortunately for the hosts, his cross isn’t up to much, and easily cleared. 1.10pm EST 13:10 39 min: Fernandinho wedges a pass down the inside-right channel. Walker cuts back for Silva, who floats a cheeky chip across and over Gunn. Gundogan tries to head home from close range but, under pressure from the keeper, sends the ball over the bar. 1.08pm EST 13:08 38 min: Silva wins Manchester City yet another corner down the right. Mahrez takes, but not particularly well. Aarons heads clear, and though the ball’s sent back into the mixer, the flag goes up for offside. 1.07pm EST 13:07 37 min: Fernandinho, from a deep position down the inside-right channel, curls to the far stick. Zinchenko tries to Van Basten home from a ridiculously tight angle. Nope. Goal kick. 1.06pm EST 13:06 36 min: One corner leads to another. The second one is skelped clear by Gibson. 1.05pm EST 13:05 35 min: A free kick for Manchester City out on the left. Foden whips it in. Hanley eyebrows out for a corner with Dias lurking behind him.

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