MX23RW : Saturday, June 1 07:03:46| >> :120:11069:11069:

Manchester City soar to Premier League summit after thrashing West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City climb to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in their league opener at the Hawthorns.

Manchester City have soared to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in their opening match at The Hawthorns.

Yaya Toure of Manchester City (2L) is congratulated by team mates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

The visitors dominated possession in the early stages before taking an early lead through Yaya Toure, whose shot from just outside the box took a deflection and dribbled past the goal line.

It continued to be one-way traffic as Manuel Pellegrini's charges passed the ball around with ease and left their opponents dumbfounded.

Before long, City had doubled their lead courtesy of a second for Toure, who played a one-two with Wilfried Bony before coolly lashing the ball into the back of the net from 20 yards.

West Brom had to wait until the half-hour mark before even registering their first shot from goal, a wayward 35-yard free kick from debutant Rickie Lambert.

Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (L) scores from a deflection during the English Premier League football match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, central England, on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

The latter stages of the half saw a surge in action as Raheem Sterling was played in clean through on goal, but his shot was weak and easily stopped by Boaz Myhill.

Moments after that chance the hosts broke and Saido Berahino got the ball into the back of the net, only for the referee to call offside on the move.

West Brom continued to improve after the restart as Lambert lashed a free kick onto the roof of the City net, while Berahino failed to control a ball just eight yards from goal.

Despite this, the visitors remained unfazed and soon killed the game off on the hour, Vincent Kompany leaping high over the West Brom defence to emphatically nod a corner home.

Vincent Kompany of Manchester City scores their third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

Tony Pulis's charges, to their credit, never gave up and continued to threaten Joe Hart's goalmouth, Chris Brunt sending a cross into the box that was nodded into the goalkeeper's arms by James Morrison.

Callum McManaman then appealed for penalty seven minutes from time after being challenged for a header in the box by Eliaquim Mangala, but the referee waved away the call.

Ultimately the Baggies couldn't do enough to grab at least a consolation as the 2013-14 Premier League champions got their campaign off to the perfect start, climbing to the top of the table after the first round of games and consigning their opponents to 20th place.

ID:238516: cacheID:238516:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6922:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Yaya Toure of Manchester City (2L) is congratulated by team mates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Toure brace puts Man City in control
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!