West Brom 0 - Man City 3: Toure shows his worth as City slick to victory over Baggies

Yaya Toure inspired City to victory

FOR all their spending maybe the best bit of business Manchester City completed in the summer was to keep Yaya Toure.

 

They have may have bought Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph, while Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne is set to arrive at the Etihad Stadium before the transfer window closes. 

But the few quiet words chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had with an apparently disenchanted Toure at the end of last season are likely to prove crucial. 

 

Vincent Kompany scored City's third goal

 

Rickie Lambert's free kick was one of West Brom's only efforts

 

Raheem Sterling made his Manchester City debut

 

Yaya Toure and Bacary Sagna embrace after Toure's goal

  

Vincent Kompany scored City's third goal

Khaldoon told Toure that whatever his grievances, he was staying put because he is simply too important for City to contemplate selling.

And when he is on his A-game as he was at the Hawthorns last night there are few better attacking midfielders in the world. 

The Ivory Coast international struck City’s first two goals in a performance that was by far the most impressive of any of the Premier League big guns on the opening weekend.

 

Skipper Vincent Kompany, another player who was sub-standard last season, added City’s third in the second half as they sent out an emphatic statement of title intent in making it eight consecutive wins against hapless Albion. 

Sterling fluffed two chances to open his account on his debut but it did not matter because City won with plenty to spare.

Albion presented £12million new boy Salomon Rondon before kick-off. Venezeula striker Rondon has signed a four-year deal following his move from Zenit St Petersburg.

The game was something of a novelty for Albion boss Tony Pulis ­– the first time he had started a season in charge of a team since his Stoke days, after taking over at Crystal Palace and Albion in mid-season to save both clubs from the drop.

 

But any hopes Pulis might have had that the club’s record buy might gee up his troops were shot down in the first 24 minutes with City turning their dominance from the kick-off into a 2-0 lead with both goals coming from Toure.

The first, after nine minutes, carried a bit of good fortune with Toure’s first-time shot deflecting off David Silva and then Craig Dawson’s heel  before rolling over the line.

Dawson was no doubt distracted by Silva, standing right in front of him, while keeper Boaz Myhill appeared slow to react. 

But there was no doubting the quality of Toure’s second after 24 minutes. City had been playing tiki-taka football from the first minute and they put together 18 passes before Toure, taking a return from Ivory Coast team-mate Wilfried Bony, found the top corner from 20 yards.

Albion simply could not get the ball off City to mount an attack. It took them nearly half an hour to manage an attempt on goal – and then Rickie Lambert’s 35-yard free-kick sailed high over the bar.

 

City should have been three-up by half-time but Sterling, put clean through, saw his shot saved by Myhill. 

And just before the break James Chester’s sliding challenge managed to stop  Aleksandar Kolarov scoring after another slick City move had opened up Albion.

In between those City threats, Saido Berahino gave Albion some encouragement when he turned the ball past Joe Hart only to be flagged offside. 

And at the break Albion were looking at a major uphill battle to keep the score down, let alone salvage anything from the game.

Pulis sent on Claudio Yacob for the second half in the hope that a third central midfielder would help Albion gain a belated foothold in the game. 

But it was Sterling who had another chance to open his City account in the first minute of the second half when he ran through but saw his shot from a tight angle saved by Myhill.

 

Lambert curled a free-kick just over and then Hart had to make his first save at the feet of Berahino after James Morrison had lifted the ball over the City defence. 

But City put the game to bed just before the hour mark when skipper Kompany steered home a header from Silva’s corner. 

Pulis will not be happy with Joleon Lescott for allowing Kompany to run free – or with James Morrison for being out-jumped by the City skipper at the near post. 

There was no respite for Albion because when Bony came off, City sent on Sergio Aguero.

WEST BROM (4-4-2): Myhill; Chester, Dawson, Lescott, Brunt; Gardner, Morrison, Fletcher, McClean (Yacob 46); Berahino (McManaman 80), Lambert (Anichebe 74). Booked: Fletcher, Gardner, Chester, Yacob. NEXT UP: Watford (a), Sat PL. 

MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure (Demichelis 80); Navas (Nasri 74), Sterling (Nasri 74), Silva; Bony (Aguero 63). Booked: Fernandinho. Goals: Toure 9, 24, Kompany 59. NEXT UP: Chelsea (h), Sun PL.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).