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Tag: Raheem Sterling

  • VAR: A gain or pain to football?

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    When Raheem Sterling scored in the 95th minute of the UEFA Champions League second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs at the Etihad, all hell broke loose.

    That goal meant that the Citizens had qualified for the semi-finals, beating the Spurs 5-4 on aggregate. Coach Pep Guardiola ran, jumping and celebrating his victory. Man. City players had gone to celebrate the goal with the English striker.  Even Tottenham fans and players were shocked. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sat on the floor stunned and fans were seen putting their hands on the head.

    Suddenly, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir blew the whistle, disallowing the goal. The Video Assistant Referee, a new technology introduced into football had caught Sergio Aguero offside, shortly before giving Sterling the pass that led to the goal.

    Emotions changed immediately from joy to despair for Man. City, and from pain to joy for Tottenham. The English Premier League leaders were dumped out of the competition on away goal rules.

    This is not the first time the VAR would be involved in critical decisions like this. Introduced in England in November 2017 when the Three Lions faced Germany in a friendly match, the VAR is usually handled by a team of three people who work together to review certain decisions made by the main referee by watching video replays of the relevant incidents.

    They comprise of the video assistant referee himself (who will be a current or former referee), his assistant and a replay operator. They are usually situated in a video operation room which is essentially a bank of monitors offering different camera angles.

    There VAR is responsible for four major decisions such as Goals and whether there was a violation during each episode of the attacking phase of play, Penalty decisions, direct red card decisions and mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card.

    In consulting the VAR, the center referee stops play after being contacted from the operation room, blowing the whistle and making a sign of a rectangle with his index fingers indicating a video screen.  He goes to the monitor located in the touchline, just beside the team bench, to review the incident alone, and then takes a decision from what he has seen.

    FIFA approved the use of VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in 2018, making the tournament become the first competition to use VAR in full at all matches and in all venues. A total of 455 incidents were checked by the VAR in the competition with twenty decisions reviewed. The first was in the match between France and Australia where Antoine Griezmann was through on goal when he went down under a challenge from Joshua Risdon, with the VAR spotting it out, and the referee Andres Cunha, awarding the penalty.

    There were controversial moments with the VAR during the World Cup. When England met Tunisia in Volgograd in the group stages, England striker Harry Kane was dragged down in the box during corners in what were considered obvious fouls.  Considering the nature of the penalty which was given to Tunisia in the first half, which appeared to be fairly soft, those sat in the VAR booth had no excuse to miss the two incidents. Sadly, they did, and had the Three Lions not won the match, a wide protest against the VAR would have begun that day.

    Another VAR moment happened in the round of sixteen, when Russia met Spain at the Luzhniki stadium. Four days before the Spain/Russia match, the same Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir (in charge of the aforementioned UEFA Champions League match) was at the center when Nigeria played against Argentina at Saint Petersburg.  Marcos Rojo had tried to head the ball, but only managed to nod it onto his own arm. The referee waved away the appeals of Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo, and after he was pressured by captain John Mikel Obi, he went to look at the VAR, but came back refusing to award Nigeria the penalty.

    However, when Spain met Russia at the Luzhniki stadium, Gerard Pique fouled the ball, this time unintentionally. He was on air with Artem Dzyuba who headed the ball on goal, and the ball hit the back of Pique’s hand. The referee awarded a penalty to Russia without consulting the VAR, bringing the decision against Nigeria four days earlier to questioning.

    Arguments have it that the VAR is likely to kill the beautiful game of football. There is a possibility that referees will be afraid and sentimental in making decisions, as they would rely so much on the VAR.

    With football atmosphere always electric, VAR is likely to kill it. Referees going all the time to cross-check decisions before taking decisions will douse the mood and thrill of the beautiful game.

    There is also the sad possibility of not appreciating goals with the introduction of the VAR. With every goal scored, referees would go on to check the goal, and every incident involved. No one is perfect and some things should be allowed to pass without punishments. The VAR will not allow that, thereby killing the joy of the game.

    There is the call for a review of the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), whether it is truly needed in football or not. This is to avoid the joy and passion of the beautiful game suffering an untimely death

  • Sterling honoured with award for fighting racism

    Manchester City’s England forward Raheem Sterling has been awarded The Integrity and Impact Award at this year’s BT Sport Industry Awards for speaking out on a range of social issues, including racism.

    Sterling was recognised for his fight against racism in the sport and for using his platform to call for more action to be taken.

    He had said earlier in April that more players needed to speak out when they suffered racism to eradicate it from the game.

    “I was just speaking about my personal experiences, I didn’t expect it to get so much attention, I just wanted to bring it to the attention of my audience on Instagram,” Sterling said as he received the award from his England coach Gareth Southgate.

    “It’s been really pleasing to see people listening and trying and do better. Partly what happens when you try to do good things is you set examples for the next generation coming through.”

    The 24-year-old also signed a manifesto earlier this week where he said clubs should be handed automatic nine-point deductions and ordered to play three games behind closed doors if their supporters indulged in racist behavior.

    Sterling, who began his career at Liverpool, said the example of his former captain Steven Gerrard encouraged him to try to develop into a role model.

    “Coming from Liverpool I had people around me like Steven Gerrard that I looked up to and I’m looking at him and thinking ‘what can I do within myself to be half the person and player he was’,” he added.

    “You take little things and each year you try and develop them and become better not just on the field but off it as well.”

    Dow Jones Sports Intelligence, the founder of the award, congratulated Sterling for the impact his actions had in addressing racism and other “social issues of diversity and inclusivity”.

    “He has given new confidence and a voice to other footballers and athletes to speak out when once they may not have done so,” Dow Jones head of sport Simon Greenberg said in a statement issued on Thursday.

    “He has sparked the sports media and the industry more widely to consider conscious or sub-conscious racial bias in their actions.”

    England manager Southgate received the Leadership in Sport Award on behalf of the FA for building a new atmosphere in the dressing room which helped his team reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Sterling wants harsher punishment to tackle racism

    Clubs should be slapped with automatic nine-point deduction and ordered to play three games behind closed doors if their supporters indulge in racist behaviour, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling has said.

    Soccer authorities must adopt radical changes to tackle the menace, Sterling added, after signing a manifesto that calls for consistent and suitable punishment for racist and discriminatory behaviour.

    “I’d call for an automatic nine-point deduction for racist abuse,” he wrote in a column for the Times newspaper.

    “It sounds harsh but which fan will risk racist behaviour if it might relegate their team or ruin their title bid?

    “The club should have to play three games behind closed doors. That way, they lose revenue as a direct consequence of racist behaviour.”

    Sterling joined a number of professionals and clubs in endorsing the manifesto which also seeks more black and minority ethnic people in senior positions in soccer and no sanctions for players walking off the pitch if they encounter racism.

    Framed with the guidance of anti-discriminatory bodies Kick It Out and FARE and the Black Collective of Media in Sport, key points of the manifesto also include the need for media and social media to take more responsibility in tackling abuse.

    Read Also: FA Cup: Sterling invites former school Elvin Academy

    “Up and down the game, across the world, black and Asian players, fans and coaches are subjected to racism. Every day, from park football to the Champions League,” Sterling said.

    “In my opinion the people who run the game are doing nowhere near enough to solve the problem. And that’s not good enough.”

    Earlier this season, Sterling had accused sections of the British media of fuelling racism with a negative portrayal of young black players.

    The 24-year-old encountered racist abuse during England’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro in March, while there have been many other cases in European soccer in recent months.

    Sterling, who is in the running for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year award, said that he did not want young black players to endure what he had.

    “I don’t know how long it’ll take for things to change but we have to start now. I don’t want the next generation of black players to have to put up with this evil,” he said.

    NAN

  • Breaking: Manchester City beat Crystal Palace, back on top

    Raheem Sterling’s double and another goal from Gabriel Jesus fired Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League ahead of Liverpool’s game against Chelsea as they won 3-1 at Crystal Palace.

    Sterling had already wasted a great chance by the time he shot high into the net to give City the lead after 15 minutes, and he wrapped up the points with a close range finish after the break.

    Luka Milivojevic made it an unexpectedly nervy finale for Pep Guardiola’s side when he whipped in a free kick from the edge of the box nine minutes from the end, but Jesus had the last word as he rounded off a 90th-minute counter-attack.

    City started purposefully, fashioning an early half-chance for David Silva, who was just unable to connect cleanly with a low Kyle Walker cross.

    They missed a golden chance after 10 minutes when Silva did brilliantly to reach the byline and cut the ball back to the unmarked Sterling, who could only roll it past the post.

    But Sterling made amends on the quarter of an hour mark when Kevin De Bruyne’s pass down the right enabled him to advance into the area and fire home an angled finish.

    The home side soon had an injury concern, Jeffrey Schlupp limping off after a collision and being replaced by Cheikhou Kouyate, with City continuing to threaten and Scott Dann doing well to clear another Silva cross.

    Sterling showed the other side of his game, tracking back to help Walker deal with Wilfried Zaha, and Aguero fired over as City maintained their control.

    But Palace showed a flicker of attacking life soon afterwards, Milivojevic crossing and Christian Benteke heading down before City hacked clear.

    Read Also: Aguero ruled out of Man.City/ Liverpool UCL clash

    Soon after the half-hour, Sane forced a good save from Vicente Guaita when he fired an angled drive towards the near post.

    Guaita was in the thick of the action again when the ball fell to De Bruyne and he fired goalwards, and then Benjamin Mendy’s strike was straight at the Palace keeper.

    City began the second half in the same dominant way, De Bruyne narrowly failing to play Sergio Aguero through and Guaita gathering well when a De Bruyne cross deflected off Martin Kelly.

    But the visitors doubled their advantage after 63 minutes, Sterling again on the mark when he coolly converted Sane’s angled cross from the left.

    Bernardo Silva came on for David Silva as Guardiola made the first change of the afternoon, and then Ederson made a straightforward save as Benteke swivelled to bobble a strike towards goal.

    Dan headed well over from a Palace corner, and City took off Aguero and replaced him with Gabriel Jesus with one eye on next week’s Champions League game against Spurs.

    Palace introduced Max Meyer for Andros Townsend – and they found a route back into the game when James McArthur was fouled and Milivojevic thumped the free kick home.

    McArthur made way for Bakary Sako for Palace, John Stones replacing Sane for City, who removed any lingering doubts about the result when Jesus kept his cool after De Bruyne had played him into the area.

     

  • FA Cup: Sterling invites former school Elvin Academy

     

    Raheem Sterling will provide 550 tickets for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final – to allow pupils at his former school to watch the big match.

    The generous Manchester City winger stunned staff at the Etihad Stadium by making the request ahead of their 5.30pm clash with Brighton and Hove Albion under the arch.

    Sources have told Sportsmail that in a joint operation with the club England man Sterling, 24, will meet pupils from Ark Elvin Academy in Wembley at City’s training complex on Thursday after they travel north from London. Then on Saturday, they will make the short journey to the stadium for the big match

    One insider said: ‘Raheem wanted to do something for the kids from his old school and approached the club to see what could be done. They are going to come up and meet him and then they are going to watch him in action.

    ‘It pretty much sums up the kind of guy he is. He hasn’t made a fuss over it and he doesn’t really want attention. It’s just a decent thing to do.’

    Sterling, who moved to England from Jamaica at the age of five, was brought up on the St Raphael’s estate in Wembley. He went to Copland Community School, which has since been renamed Ark Elvin Academy

    An estimated 92 per cent of pupils at the school come from a minority ethnic background, with 36 per cent on free meals. More than 50 languages are spoken.

    City have been struggling to sell all their tickets for the game. The Premier League champions have sold around 25,000 seats for their fourth trip to Wembley this season.

    They had to return 2,000 extra tickets, sent in addition to their allocation of more than 30,000, back to the Football Association.

    The club say those are the more expensive tickets, with prices going up to £120, and all categories of tickets remain on general sale.

  • RAHEEM STERLING: My journey from hotel cleaner to World Cup player

    RAHEEM Sterling has revealed his incredible journey from helping his mother clean hotel toilets to becoming an England World Cup star.

    Writing for The Players’ Tribune website, Sterling has described his move from Jamaica as a five-year-old and his upbringing in London before rejecting Arsenal to start his football career at Queens Park Rangers.

    Sterling wrote: “When I was two years old, my father was murdered. That shaped my entire life. Not long after that, my mum made the decision to leave me and my sister in Jamaica and go to England so she could get her degree and give us a better life.

    “I didn’t realise it at the time, but my mum was hustling in her own way, trying to make a better life for us. When I was five years old, we moved to London to be with her, and that was kind of a tough time because the culture was very different from what I was used to and we didn’t have much money. My mum always made sure we had what we needed, but let’s just say it wasn’t The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, know what I mean?

    “My mum was working as a cleaner at some hotels to make extra money so she could pay for her degree. I’ll never forget waking up at five in the morning before school and helping her clean the toilets at the hotel in Stonebridge. I’d be arguing with my sister, like, ‘No! No! You got the toilets this time. I got the bed sheets’.

    “The only good part about it was that my mum would let us pick anything we wanted from the vending machine when we finished. So you know I was going straight for the Bounty bar every time.”

    Sterling’s energy on the football pitch can be traced back to his primary school days, when, by his own admission, he struggled to concentrate.

    “I was probably driving my mum mental. It wasn’t that I was bad bad, I just didn’t want to listen,” he wrote. “I didn’t want to sit still and hear what the teacher was saying, mate! What are we talking about today – subtraction? Come on. Not having that. I’d be staring at the clock dreaming of break time. Eat a bit of food, then head straight outside. Running about in the mud, pretending I’m Ronaldinho. That’s all I cared about.

    “I was so naughty that they kicked me out of primary school. Well, actually, that’s not totally true. Technically, they didn’t kick me out. They just told my mum that I needed to be in an environment with more attention. They put your man in a little classroom with six kids and three teachers! Not joking. There was nowhere to hide.

    “The worst part was the bus used to pick us up and drop us off every day. So I’ll never forget, I was riding the bus one day, looking out the window, and I saw all these other girls and boys walking to school on their own, having a laugh. And that really hit me, and I thought, I want to do that. I want to be like everyone else. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just quiet. I just didn’t like to listen to anyone but my mum. That was my problem.

    “If I really think hard about it, the moment my life changed was when I met a guy named Clive Ellington. He used to mentor the kids in our neighbourhood who didn’t have their fathers around. On the weekend, he’d take us on little trips around London and show us a different side of life. Sometimes we’d just go play snooker. Basically, anything that wasn’t our day-to-day. He genuinely cared about us. So one day he sat me down and he said, ‘Raheem, what do you love to do?’

    “Simple, simple question, right? But I never really thought about it like that. At that point, I was just playing football in the street, biking around with my friends, being a kid. I said, ‘I love playing football’.

    “He said, ‘Well, I got a little Sunday League team. Why don’t you come out and play with us?’ And that was it. That moment changed my life. From that day, it was football, football, football. Obsessed. Totally obsessed.”

    Sterling has revealed how Arsenal were one of the first clubs that wanted to sign him, but that his mother had the final say on his first steps towards becoming a Premier League title winner with Manchester City.

    “When I was 10 or 11, I was getting scouted by some big clubs in London,” he wrote. “Fulham wanted me. Arsenal wanted me. And when Arsenal want you, of course you’re thinking you gotta go there. Biggest club in London, you know? So I’m running around telling my mates, ‘I’m off to the Arsenal!’

    “But my mum is a proper warrior. She knows how to make it in this world. She’s probably the most streetwise person I know. She sat me down one day and she said, ‘Look, I love you. But I don’t feel you should go to Arsenal’. I said, ‘Ehhhh?’

    “She said, ‘If you go there, there’s going to be 50 players who are just as good as you. You’ll just be a number. You need to go somewhere where you can work your way up’. She convinced me to go to QPR, and it was probably the best decision I ever made. At QPR, they didn’t let me slip up.

    “And you know what’s crazy? I grew up in the shadow of my dream. Literally. I watched the new Wembley stadium go up from my back garden. One day, I walked outside and I saw this massive arch in the sky. It was rising up over the top of the housing estates like a mountain. I used to kick about in this green right by my house, and I could take a shot on goal and then turn round to celebrate and the Wembley arch would literally be right above my head. It was like you were there. I was really like, ‘I can play there. I can do it’.”

    Sterling defied the doubts of at least one of his teachers to play for England Under-16s, which helped him catch the attention of Liverpool when he was 15 years old.

    “Liverpool wanted me, but it was three hours away from home,” wrote Sterling. “And I’ll never forget sitting my mum down and telling her that I wanted to go. I love all my friends from my neighbourhood. They’re still my best friends in the world. But at that time, there was a lot of crime and stabbings going on, and I felt like Liverpool was a chance for me to go away and just focus on football.

    “My whole mission was to get a proper contract so that my mother and sister didn’t have to stress anymore. The day that I bought my mum a house, that was probably the happiest I’ve ever been.

    “If people want to write about my mum’s bathroom in her house, all I have to tell you is that 15 years ago, we were cleaning toilets in Stonebridge and getting breakfast out of the vending machine. If anybody deserves to be happy, it’s my mum. She came to this country with nothing and put herself through school cleaning bathrooms and changing bed sheets, and now she’s the director of a nursing home. And her son plays for England. I’m telling you right now… England is still a place where a naughty boy who comes from nothing can live his dream.”

     

    • Culled from www.telegraph.co.uk
  • Birthday: Sterling buys ‘small thing’ for big sister

    Birthday: Sterling buys ‘small thing’ for big sister

     

    Premier League star Raheem Sterling has bought his beloved sister a house in London for her 27th birthday.

    The Manchester City forward, who earns £180,000 a week, took to Instagram to film the moment where he surprised his 27-year-old sibling by blindfolding her and leading her up to her new pad.

    Sterling, 23, told his followers about the ‘big day’ and that he had got a ‘small gift’ for his sister, Kima-lee. He was then seen hushing the camera as he helped his sister out of the car before approaching the house.

    The England international, who moved from Liverpool to Manchester City for £49million in 2015, is usually brilliant at helping his team-mates on the pitch but the winger struggled when assisting his sister up her new garden path.

    As they got nearer, phone flashes filled the doorway as loved ones waited silently for the pair and the big reveal. A collective shout of ‘surprise!’ then greeted the duo as the sister took off the blindfold.

    Kima-lee was then mobbed by family as they ushered her in to her new living room where golden balloons spelled out ‘yours’.  She then hugged her baby brother as a thank you before family and friends sang ‘happy birthday’.

    He said on Instagram: ‘My sister @kymiah_mae had an amazing birthday. I thank the Lord for your beautiful soul and personality. Our story, we don’t need to talk too much, but at least we can thank the Lord we past the worst.’

    In June 2016, Sterling showed off a mansion that he bought for his mother just hours after he had arrived back in Britain following England’s disastrous performance at Euro 2016 which saw them knocked out by Iceland.

    He was seen smiling as he took a group of friends on a private tour of the luxury home near London. He later showed off an extravagant bathroom, complete with a matching silver toilet and a glittering jewel-encrusted sink.

    Sterling – who dubbed himself ‘The Hated One’ after a poor performance for England against Russia in 2016 – has scored 41 goals in 105 games for Manchester City, with nearly half of those strikes coming this season.

    Sterling had an absent father, who was later shot dead in the family’s native home in Jamaica, and moved to England aged five. He joined Queen’s Park Rangers as a boy but moved to Liverpool aged 15 for £600,000 in 2010.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sterling attacker bags 16 weeks jail term

    Sterling attacker bags 16 weeks jail term

     

    In what could pass for leaning the hard way, a man has been sentenced to 16 weeks in prison for a racist attack on Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.

    Karl Anderson, 29, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault after Sterling was attacked as he arrived at City’s Etihad complex before Saturday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur.

    Salford Magistrates’ Court heard Anderson had kicked and shouted racial abuse at the 23-year-old England international.

    Anderson has 25 previous convictions for 37 offences, including throwing a flare at a police officer during a football match.

    The court was shown CCTV of Anderson driving his van alongside Sterling’s vehicle as the player waited to enter the training ground on Saturday.

    Both men then got out of their vehicles and Anderson walked towards Sterling.

    Carl Miles, prosecuting, said Anderson, who had been in the vehicle with his partner, began shouting racial abuse at Sterling.

    Miles said: “He sets out kicking Mr Sterling to the legs on four occasions.”

    The court heard Sterling’s left hamstring was sore after the attack but he did not suffer serious injuries.

    In a victim personal statement, which was read to the court, the footballer said he had been “completely shocked” by the incident.

    He said: “I didn’t think this type of behaviour still happened in this country in this day and age.”

    Sentencing, chairman of the bench Diana Webb-Hobson said: “This was an entirely unprovoked attack. You stopped your car and you got out.

    “The personal statement was very moving, we find injury was sustained.”Magistrates also ordered Anderson to pay £100 compensation and £115 victim surcharge.

    Karl Anderson, 29, booted the winger four times and hurled a volley of abuse at the star who plays for United’s rivals City including racial slurs.

    Anderson confronted the 23-year-old before his team’s 4-1 win against Tottenham on Saturday as the star got out of his black car at player’s entrance to the training complex in Manchester.

    High definition CCTV footage of the incident, which lasted around a minute long, was shown in court.

    The court heard Anderson had 25 previous convictions for 37 offences, with a number for football violence.

    In 2009, a judge branded Anderson a “bully and a coward” for racially abusing an Asian motorist. Anderson was jailed for four months after admitting a racially aggravated assault on Shafiqul Islam in August.

     

     

     

  • British Police probes alleged racist attack on Sterling

    British Police probes alleged racist attack on Sterling

     

    British police are investigating an alleged racially aggravated assault on Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling before the Premier League leaders’ victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

    “On Sunday 17 December 2017, police were made aware that a 23-year-old man had been subject to a racially aggravated assault,” a police spokesman said.

    The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that Sterling was apparently kicked and racially abused as he arrived at City’s Etihad Campus on Saturday morning before their 4-1 win over Tottenham, during which the attacker scored twice.

    The report said a man appeared to be waiting for the 23-year-old England international as he arrived at the training ground to prepare for the game.

    The newspaper said it is understood that Sterling got out of his car to ask what the problem was but was then kicked in the leg.

    City have not commented on the matter and a formal complaint has not yet been lodged but police confirmed they are treating it as “a hate crime”.

    “While an official report has not yet been made, enquiries will be carried out and officers are treating it as a hate crime.”

    Sterling has been one of the stars of City’s record-breaking season; scoring 15 goals in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s side have romped clear at the top of the Premier League and racked up 16 straight league wins.

    Sterling scored twice in a 4-1 triumph over Spurs, City’s 16th league win in a row which maintains their healthy 11-point lead atop the table.

  • Man City regain five point lead at the top

    Man City regain five point lead at the top

     

    Manchester City regained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns Saturday afternoon.

    Raheem Sterling sealed the game in the second half after City had emerged with a slender lead from a whirlwind spell of three goals inside five minutes.

    The Baggies were gifted a late consolation through a Nicolas Otamendi error which Matt Phillips pounced on, but City still secured an eighth straight league win to reestablish their cushion over Manchester United, who made their own title statement by beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 this lunchtime.

    Leroy Sane opened the scoring with an emphatic 10th-minute finish from Fernandinho’s pass – left footed from 15 yards out across a motionless Ben Foster.

    Rather than take their beating lying down, Albion responded immediately as Jay Rodriguez lobbed a stranded Ederson from Gareth Barry’s lifted pass.

    However, the Baggies retained parity for little over two minutes as Fernandinho’s shot from the edge of the box deflected off Barry and past Foster.

    The visitors took control of proceedings and should have extended their advantage when David Silva, not known for his heading, nodded over from eight yards out.

    Salomon Rondon does have a reputation for aerial prowess but could not get his 41st-minute header on target with one of West Brom’s few clear openings.

    Grzegorz Krychowiak had another Albion chance shortly after the break when he spread the ball to Alan Nyom and advanced into the box to meet the full-back’s cross with a tame header that was easily held by Ederson.

    Less than two minutes after his introduction as a substitute, Sterling gave the Citizens the breathing space that their dominance warranted by finishing off a flowing move with a six-yard tap in from Kyle Walker’s cross.

    Kevin de Bruyne and Silva, whose shot on the turn from 10 yards out on 87 minutes was brilliantly blocked by Foster, missed chances to make the scoreline even more secure before Otamendi’s arrogance made stoppage time a little nervy for the league leaders.

    The Argentine defender tried to chest a cross back to Ederson, and Phillips pouched in to pull one back for West Brom in the 92nd minute.

    It was too late to cause too much drama as Albion’s winless run was extended to eight games.

    Meanwhile, City have equalled a Premier League record of 28 points from 10 matches and are looking difficult to stop.