Man City up to second after demolishing Hull

Man City secured their third victory on the trot with a 3-0 win over Hull at KCOM Stadium to move up to second in the Premier League.

Second half goals from Yaya Toure, Kelechi Iheanacho and a Curtis Davies own goal did the damage as Pep Guardiola’s team gradually picked off their opponents, who now sit bottom of the table on goal difference.

Kevin de Bruyne created a half opening for City early on as he got free down the left before finding David Silva in space on the edge of the area. However, the Tigers defence scrambled well to deflect the Spaniard’s effort away.

But it was Silva who had the first real effort of the tie with a shot from distance which keeper David Marshall did well to stop, while Jake Livermore was pressing at the other end for Hull, escaping Fernandinho and testing Claudio Bravo with a shot from just outside the box.

After the half hour, Raheem Sterling did well to weave into some half space on the edge of the area, but with the Hull defence pressing the England international riffled his effort over the bar.

Nolito had an effort soon after, latching onto a back heel from Fernandinho, but the Spaniard could only repeat Sterling’s attempt with the ball sailing high and wide of the target.

Hull could have shocked City with the opener just after the break as Harry Maguire got on the end of a free-kick only for the defender to hook over the bar. City were prodding constantly and De Bruyne came within a coat of paint of giving City the lead. From outside the box, on the left of the field, he whipped in a shot, which hit the inside of the left post before rattling away across the face of goal with no poacher there to finish.

The mercurial Bravo almost gifted Hull a goal, as he came off his line to deal with a cross from a corner but found himself in no-man’s land with several bodies in his way to the ball; Michael Dawson saw the error and knocked a header towards goal, with Bacary Sagna saving his keeper’s blushes with a goal-line clearance.

Dieumerci Mbokani was proving tricky to handle for City and found himself in a great position when Robert Snodgrass played him into the box but a poor touch saw the chance go.

At the other end De Bruyne was again the danger man as he was played into the area and turned in a decent position to shoot but his snap effort was all wrong from an angles perspective.

The goal finally came in the 73^rd minute. Sterling made a fine run into the Hull box with Andrew Robertson getting his tackle wrong, bringing the City man to the ground, for referee Bobby Madley to award the spot kick. Toure stood up to slam to the left with keeper Marshall going the wrong way.

Five minutes later it was two. De Bruyne burst through the middle before slipping a neat ball to Silva on the right of the box to square for Iheanacho to tap home from close range.

And in injury time City completed the rout. Sterling broke from deep, and with Hull pushing up field for a consolation, found himself able to weave into the box before shooting, with the unfortunate Davis deflecting the ball into his own net.

Photo: Getty/Nigel Roddis

eir Sport channels are available across the eir Vision, Sky and Vodafone TV platforms as well as on the eir Sport app. All 6 channels in the eir Sport pack are available for free if you are a residential eir broadband customer.