Manchester City had to come back from a goal down on two occasions as they managed to grab a point at West Ham overnight.
Enner Valencia and Sergio Aguero both scored braces in an exciting 2-2 draw, with the Ecuadorian opening the scoring in the first moments of the match, only for Aguero to equalise within a matter of minutes via a penalty. Some sloppy defending in the second-half gave the Hammers the lead again, when Valencia pounced on and poked home what seemed like a harmless long ball into the box. It was not until the final 10 minutes that City managed to grab the equaliser, when Aguero calmly tucking the ball past Adrian after some good play by youngster Kalechi Iheananho.
A win for the Hammers would have meant they climbed over Manchester United into fifth position, while the Sky Blues did manage to jump Arsenal on goal difference, but slipped further away from leaders Leicester City who are now three points clear at the top.
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Aguero on fire
Since his return from injury the Argentine has five in his last five and 12 league goals so far this season. Aguero has recorded a brace in each of his last two games and the 27-year-old now has the best goals-per-minute’s ratio in the Premier league, scoring on average every 95.5 minutes. Surprisingly, it was only the second time since September that Aguero was able to complete the full game.
His return from injury has surely added some spark to the City attack and hopes will be high that their talisman remains fit for the remainder of the season, if they want any real shot at the title.
The former Athetico Madrid striker continues to be one of the best and most dangerous forwards, not only in the Premier league, but also in Europe.
13 – Sergio Aguero has now scored 13 goals in 10 Premier League away appearances versus London sides. Capital.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 23, 2016
Hammers continue to impress against the big guns
With wins over Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Southampton and a double over Liverpool, West Ham have put in some impressive performances over the league’s top guns. Among the top eight, only Leicester and Tottenham have managed to grab all three points against a stubborn Hammers side. Slaven Bilic will be slightly disappointed to have not done the double over City as well, after they already beat the Citizens at the Etihad earlier this season.
They have only been beaten twice on home soil, both of which came very early on into the season. West Ham have now lost just one game in their last 10 and continue to climb the table in search for European football.
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City’s defensive woes continue
There has been no hiding the fact that City’s defence has been woeful this season and their efforts against the Hammers was not far from pathetic. Vincent Kompany’s injury concerns have hurt the Citizens a lot, as centre-backs Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala have been among the league’s worst defenders. City will face Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool in their next five fixtures and a clean sheet in any of those would be priceless.
As the goals are being scored with ease, Manuel Pellegrini must ensure that his side stop leaking at the back if they really want to make any serious claim on the title. Although they currently sit only three points behind Leicester, there has been no clear indication of them being strong contenders for the crown this season.
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