Manchester City should by rights win the Premier League. They have the best team and most definitely the best squad. 

Certainly if teams play against them like Chelsea did here then Liverpool should cease to fret and instead begin to congratulate themselves on a creditable and hard fought second place.

City played like champions here. Energetic, decisive, merciless and, of course, devastatingly attractive to watch. They scored six – four within the first half an hour – and could have had seven or eight. When they play like this, it is hard to think of a side in England or indeed Europe that could live with them.

Oleksandr Zinchenko cut the ball across the area for Raheem Sterling to sweep into the back of the net for a remarkable 6-0

The pacey attacker clenched his fists and stuck out his tongue to celebrate after scoring his second goal in the game

Sergio Aguero completed his hat-trick after coolly slotting home a penalty in the second half to put City five goals ahead

The spot kick was won after Sterling cut inside Cesar Azpilicueta and the Spaniard made a late lunge of a tackle

Aguero’s team-mates marked his hat-trick by huddling around him, as the Etihad knew the game was well and truly won

Aguero was then substituted by manager Pep Guardiola to a standing ovation, and shared a joke with his manager

But what of Chelsea? Just what was this? Was it just a bad day at work or was it a deliberate attempt to rid themselves of the unstinting demands of their coach Maurizio Sarri?

It is hard to really believe it was the latter. Chelsea have an FA Cup tie at home to Manchester United a week on Tuesday and then a League Cup Final against City the following weekend. If they really are to cut their coach off at the knees then surely they would wait until after those two season-defining moments?

So we have to put this down to incompetence then. We have to presume this was one of this disastrously perfect footballing storms when eleven abysmal performances all arrive at once to form one enormous thunderclap of horror.

It has happened to them before, of course. In their last away game at Bournemouth they had succumbed 4-0. So maybe we should not have been surprised at how awful they were. Even so, it was hard to fathom and if Sarri is to survive this debut season at Stamford Bridge then there is going to have to be one hell of an upturn between now and the middle of May.

Of the five goals scored by City here, four of them were coloured by Chelsea mistakes. They were big ones, too. Eden Hazard started it and then Ross Barkley joined in. In the second half, it was Cesar Azpilicueta’s turn.

All City could do was go back to the well and keep drinking. Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick – his first an absolute howitzer – and is now City’s all-time leading league goal scorer with 160 goals. He has now scored as many home league goals – six – in the last eight days as Huddersfield Town have all season.

So City are back on top of the Premier League and it is where they deserve to be. Despite the horror that greeted their recent defeat at Newcastle, Pep Guardiola’s team have now won eleven of their last twelve games in all competitions. That is irresistible form.

Ilkay Gundogan’s pinpoint, finessed effort beat both the Chelsea defence and goalkeeper to put City up 4-0 before half-time

Chelsea defenders were left furiously asking questions and shifting the blame as Gundogan peeled away to celebrate

The ball came to rest in the back of the Chelsea net while scenes of dejection quickly broke out inside the penalty area

The German was hoisted into the air by defender Kyle Walker as Bernando Silva headed over to join the celebrations

Sergio Aguero used his striker’s instinct to latch onto the ball after a poor, mistimed back-pass header from Ross Barkley

Aguero nipped in and kept his eye on the ball to smash it into the back of the net for his second goal and City’s third at 3-0

Barkley was left with feelings of regret and dejection after his puzzling attempt to head the ball backwards completely failed

Caretaker Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was present in the stands, scouting out ahead of the FA Cup tie

They had, of course, lost at Chelsea in early December but anyone who watched that game will know that Sarri’s team were hanging on in a first half that their opponents dominated. Here, the feel of the early play was similar but this time Chelsea did not hang on. Instead, they formed an orderly queue and followed each other over the edge of the cliff.

Whether they are hoping that their Italian coach will follow them, only they will know. They can be a mutinous bunch at Stamford Bridge, though. Just as Antonio Conte and indeed Jose Mourinho discovered.

Certainly this was a performance bad enough to get a manager sacked. City are a ruthless, clinical side these days, capable of ripping flesh from bone like dogs. If you encourage them they will destroy you and here Chelsea opened the door to a massacre with some embarrassingly compliant football.

The first goal arrived in only the fourth minute and set the tone for what followed. Marco Alonso and Hazard appeared to abdicate responsibility for marking Bernardo Silva at a free-kick, allowing the City player to ease forward down the right on to Kevin de Bruyne’s simple pass.

Silva’s cross was only half cleared and when Raheem Sterlng crashed the ball high in to the net from ten yards, the inquest began. On reflection, it was probably Hazard’s fault. Alonso could be seen pointing to the Silva-sized gap that needed to plugged and the Belgian – it must be said – didn’t seem wholly interested.

So City had the start they needed as they looked to equal or better Liverpool’s result from the prevuous day and they immediately seemed to sense that Chelsea resembled pins waiting to be knocked over in a bowling alley.

Aguero had moments earlier unleashed a wonder-strike from long distance to crash the ball into the top corner

Once more Kepa Arrizabalaga was left looking on as the ball zipped past him and nestled in the back of the Chelsea goal

The Argentine displayed both focus and elite level technique to get over the ball and hammer it goal-bound from distance

The world’s most expensive goalkeeper Arrizabalaga had no chance as the ball sailed into the top corner for 2-0

Aguero jumped for joy as the Etihad erupted around him after doubling City’s lead and putting Chelsea on the back foot

Maurizio Sarri continued to scribble notes in his technical area but his team showed no signs of improvement on the pitch

Aguero missed a straight forward chance after Silva had been afforded the freedom of East Manchester to set him up at the far post and it seemed a horror moment, a moment when the chance to put Chelsea away early in the game had been passed up by the one player Guardiola can usually rely on above all others.

But no sooner had Guardiola recovered than Aguero was driving a sensational shot high in to the corner from 25 yards with his right foot. That was 2-0 to City and that was essentially the end of the contest right there.

Chelsea still had more to give, though. More to give to City, that is. If they were going to go under they were clearly going to do it properly and when Barkley’s cataclysmic back header dropped on to Aguero’s foot in just the 19th minute he turned to drive it in to the goal from less than six yards.

It was hard to find words for Chelsea at this juncture but the statistics helped to tell the story. Having lost 4-0 at Bournemouth in their last away game, their aggregate score over their previous 65 minutes of away football stood at 0-7. And then it got worse.

This time – in the 25th minute – the scorer was Ilkay Gundogan and it was a nice strike, curled low in to the corner with his right instep from 20 yards. Yet again, Chelsea were architects of their own troubles, though, as Antonio Rudiger failed to clear the ball properly and then Barkley appeared to sway out of the way of the shot when had he stood stock still the ball probably would have hit him on the knees.

Moments after City had initially broken the deadlock Aguero had fluffed a simple tap-in chance at the back post

Raheem Sterling had hit the back of the net for Manchester City after four minutes after converting a ball squared across

Sterling opened his body and expertly wrapped his foot around the ball to generate both power and precision in the effort

The Chelsea defence were left furious with one another as Sterling was able to ghost in and slot the ball home

The England international sprinted over to the corner where the City supporters were going crazy following the quick star

Prior to the game both sides and sets of supporters paid tribute to the late Emiliano Sala, whose body was found last week

Sarri and Guardiola greeted each other warmly in the tunnel ahead of their sides doing battle on the pitch

Chelsea were drowning and all that remained to be seen was how big was City’s appetite for proper destruction. Given that the goal difference numbers at the top of the Premier League are so tight, we expected the City tide to keep rolling in.

Inevitably, there was a slight drop in intensity before half-time and City goalkeeper Ederson saved well from Pedro and brilliantly from Gonzalo Higuain’s dipping volley.

But early in the second half Ageuro planted a header on to the bar and that signalled the start of another period of City dominance. The Argentinean’s hat-trick goal came from the penalty spot before the hour as Azpilicueta scythed down Sterling on the left side.

Much mirth will be had when footage of Mike Dean’s penalty signal spreads round the world on social media but at least the referee’s act was a decisive one. 

Chelsea, frankly, could have done with a bit of that and they were static again with ten minutes left when Silva’s pass to Oleksandr Zinchenko opened Sarri’s team up like a tin can and Sterling converted the low cross from six yards. 

‘Sarri will be fired at half time’: Livid Chelsea fans call for manager’s head as Man City run riot and score FOUR goals in 19 first-half minutes… and odds have slashed for him in sack-race

• Manchester City dominated Chelsea as they scored four first-half goals
• Raheem Sterling opened the scoring after four minutes at the Etihad Stadium
• Sergio Aguero then grabbed a quick brace before Ilkay Gundogan got a fourth
• Blues fans on social media slammed Maurizio Sarri for the first-half display 

By

Sam Mcevoy For Mailonline

Published:
12:09 EST, 10 February 2019

|
Updated:
12:51 EST, 10 February 2019

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England’s Tom Curry suffers gruesome head injury as blood pours down his face during second half against France… before a brawl erupts

• Tom Curry received a gash in his forehead during the second half against France
• Blood poured from his wound, and he had to be briefly replaced by Hughes
• Later in the match, a brawl erupted between some England and France players 

By

Matt Porter For Mailonline

Published:
12:09 EST, 10 February 2019

|
Updated:
12:34 EST, 10 February 2019

A match which quickly became a nightmare for France later turned into a scene from a horror movie as blood started pouring from a gash in England player Tom Curry’s head.

During the second half, Curry ran with the ball, and with blood already covering his face, headed straight into a tackle with huge French centre Mathieu Bastareaud. 

After getting up from that collision, a medic came on to towel down his face, only for blood to continue gushing from the wound. 

 England hosted France at Twickenham in what ended up being an easy Six Nations victory

Tom Curry played on briefly after receiving a gruesome head wound which gushed blood

Curry was briefly replaced by Nathan Hughes, but came back on after being patched up

Social media users were quick to react, likening his face to something from a horror movie

He went off to the blood bin, replaced by Nathan Hughes, but wasn’t deterred for long, quickly returning to action after being patched up.

Social media reacted quickly too, likening Curry to the Black Knight from Monty Python and his ‘just a flesh wound.’ Another user called him ‘Tom Carrie,’ referencing the gory scene from the film adaptation of the Stephen King book. 

England dominated the Six Nations match from start to finish, scoring try after try, as frustrations in the French camp grew. 

Later in the second half a brief melee erupted between some England and France players 

It all started after Kyle Sinckler grabbed Arthur Iturria’s scrum cap, and he was penalised

Those frustrations spilled over after Kyle Sinckler grabbed flanker Arthur Iturria’s scrum cap and pulled it down over his eyes. Players from both sides then piled in to the melee.

The penalty went against Sinckler, but no one received any cards after the brief fracas when everyone managed to calm down.

The match ended 44-8 in favour of England, lifting them back to the top of the Six Nations standings. 

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Jonny May’s half-hour hat-trick propelled England to an emphatic rout of a dire French side at Twickenham, to add further momentum to their Guinness Six Nations title charge.

It took just 66 seconds for May to score his first try and the prolific Leicester wing went on to complete a memorable treble as Eddie Jones’s national team turned this match into a formality.

They had a bonus point by half-time, to add another five-point victory to the one they earned so memorably against Ireland in Dublin. 

Jonny May scored a first-half hat-trick as England ran in six tries to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Six Nations

England made a blistering start for the second week in a row as Jonny May touched down in the corner after just one minute

The Leicester winger then showed neat footwork to score a second before half-time as he eased past Damian Penaud

His afternoon got even better when he ran rough to collect a Chris Ashton kick and scooped the ball up superbly to score

England’s wing combination celebrate after combining for their team’s third try of the afternoon in a dominant victory

Damian Penaud managed to finish off a well-worked move for France as he continued his impressive start to the tournament

Things got even better for the hosts before the break as centre Henry Slade scored another try after scoring two last week

Ashton is tackled off the ball by Gael Fickou of France from which a penalty try was awarded for England

Owen Farrell then chased his own kick to score a sixth try of the contest for Eddie Jones’s side on a dominant afternoon

MATCH FACTS AND SIX NATIONS STANDINGS

England: Daly, Ashton, Slade, M Tuilagi, May, Farrell (C), B Youngs, M Vunipola, George, Sinckler, Lawes, Kruis, Wilson, B Vunipola, Curry.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Moon, Cole, Launchbury, Hughes, Robson, Ford, Nowell.

Tries: May (x3), Slade, Pen-try, Farrell

Conversions: Farrell (x3)

Penalties: Farrell (x2)

France: Huget, Penaud, Bastareaud, Doumayrou, Fickou, Lopez, Parra, Picamoles, Iturria, Camara, Lambey, Vahaamahina, Bamba, Guirado (C), Poirot.

Replacements: Bourgarit, Priso, Aldegheri, Willemse, Alldritt, Dupont, Ntamack, Ramos.

Tries: Penaud

Conversions: None

Penalties: Parra

Sin bin: Fickou 

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

On this evidence, England are the stand-out team in the championship. They sit on top of the table and aside from the worrying sight of Mako Vunipola on the bench with ice on his left ankle, the outlook for the rest of the tournament is bright. 

here was a loss of momentum and cohesion in the second half, but that was surely a reflection of their total dominance. The result was beyond doubt by then.

England captain Owen Farrell was outstanding, with 17 points and total control over proceedings for the long period of home ascendancy. He and Ben Youngs, aided and abetted by Henry Slade and the rejuvenated Elliot Daly, tormented France with shrewd tactical kicking.

Up front, Sale flanker Tom Curry – who was left with blood all over his face from a clash of heads – led the defensive effort with 19 tackles, with the combative, abrasive Mark Wilson making 18.

All roads now lead to Cardiff. Wales were not hugely impressive in their win over Italy, but Warren Gatland’s side also have two victories under their belt. On February 23, the Welsh capital will stage an intriguing showdown between the two remaining unbeaten countries. That cross-border tussle will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title in 2019. At this stage, there is every reason for English optimism. 

Prince Harry was among the spectators at Twickenham and saw England make it two wins out of two for the tournament

England centre Henry Slade leaps into the air to claim the kick-off as England gathered possession in the early stages

Daly played an inch perfect kick through the France defence and May latched onto the ball before touching it to the ground

Tom Curry and Daly celebrate wildly with May after he gave England a 5-0 lead after just one minute of the game

Owen Farrell missed the resulting conversion but then responded by sending two penalties over the posts

England scrum half Ben Young explodes away from the set piece and flings a pass to the backs as they launch another attack

Courtney Lawes, starting in place of the injured Maro Itoje, is tackled by Sebastien Vahaamahina and Louis Picamoles

The procession was soon under way. England have developed a handy knack of striking early and they were at it again this time. Guilhem Guirado, the France captain, spilled the ball in contact and he paid dearly for the lapse.

Ben Youngs passed back to Elliot Daly and, spying a gap and a mis-match, he surged into space, past the flailing Camille Lopez. He then kicked ahead, down the left flank and May sped through to touch down. Farrell missed the conversion, but he would soon have more shooting practice.

He soon landed two penalties to one by Morgan Parra, before the English carnival resumed in earnest. In the 24th minute, May claimed his and his team’s second try.

From an attacking lineout on the left, Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola made in-roads before the ball was switched left and Farrell’s long pass picked out the Leicester wing, who stood up Damian Penaud to beat him on the outside and score superbly. 

France’s scrum-half Morgan Parra got the visitors on the scoreboard with a penalty of his own in the opening 15 minutes

Powerful French centre Mathieu Bastareaud smashes through one tackle as he proves difficult to bring to the ground

France’s flanker Yacouba Camara is lifted into the air but was unable to get to the ball in the line-out for the visiting team

Penaud squared up May but the Englishman proved to be too quick and powerful for his opponent as he scored on the outside

May then completed a sensational first half hat-trick when he latched onto a kick from Chris Ashton through the defence

Daly was a constant menace throughout for England and his pace allowed him to make devastating breaks through the line

Slade continued his impressive start to the tournament by crossing the line for a fourth time for England in the opening period

Five minutes later, he had his hat-trick. An England onslaught had lost momentum so Henry Slade kicked high and Parra knocked on. The ball fell to Ashton just outside the 22 and he darted left before sending a deft kick behind the French defence, for May to chase through and slide over. This time, Farrell added the extras from a wide angle.

Out of nowhere, France hit back, five minutes before the break. Deep in his own half, Huget slipped away from Farrell and beat Slade’s attempted tackle. He stormed over halfway and somehow blasted between Manu Tuilagi and May before swerving outside again and sending Penaud racing clear to score.

But the fightback was short-lived. Seconds before half-time, Daly counter-attacked at pace and, from a ruck in midfield, Youngs kicked into space. Huget had gone missing and Ashton capitalised – picking up and taking the ball into the 22 before being stopped short.

But England would not be denied. Kyle Sinckler sent a looping pass out to Slade and he stepped around Guirado and went through to claim the bonus-point try, converted by Farrell. 

France appear dejected as they convene underneath the posts after conceding a fourth try inside 40 minutes of play

England flanker Tom Curry suffered a nasty injury in the second-half that was quickly addressed so he could return to action

Both wingers were chasing after a kick through but Frenchman Fickou was adjudged to have denied Ashton a clear try

Tempers flared between both sets of players when Kyle Sinckler became embroiled in a clash with his opposite number

England hooker Jamie George is pushed through the advertising boards by a Frenchman as the melee spilled off the pitch

Farrell kicked through once again towards May but the ball trickled away from the winger and allowed the fly-half to score

The Saracens star pumps his fist in delight as England’s kicking game proved to dismantle the French all afternoon

England lost a bit of shape and fluency and focus at the start of the second half. But they were able to extend their lead nonetheless. In the 50th minute, Slade intercepted a pass by Lopez and broke into the French half then kicked for Ashton to chase. He was unable to seize the ball but Gael Fickou tackled him anyway, close to the visitors’ line, and conceded a slightly debatable penalty try. The wing was dispatched to the sin-bin.

Three minutes later, the match erupted. Sinckler took hold of Athur Iturria’s scrum-cap at a ruck and tried to tear it off. Iturria and several of his team-mates took exception to this and Mark Wilson piled into the melee.

As several players clashed, France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina shoved Jamie George over one of the electronic advertising boards next to the pitch, which flattened a section of it, causing tempers to flare again.

When the dust settled, Sinckler was penalised and France sought to launch a revival, but all they managed to do was concede another try. Youngs took a quick tap penalty in his own half and released Farrell, who kicked into space. Ashton was unable to pick up but Antoine Dupont knocked the ball over his own line and Farrell followed up to score. He converted too.

There were no more points, but England had plenty. They are on a roll.