Aguero double rescues Man City point

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23 Jan 2016

By Gary Rose BSports

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City earned a hard-fought draw at West Ham to keep in touch with Premier League leaders Leicester.

Enner Valencia struck from inside the area after 53 seconds for the Hammers but Aguero equalised with a penalty after he had been fouled.

The hosts retook the lead when Valencia capitalised on hesitant defending by Nicolas Otamendi to stab in.

However, Aguero struck from 10 yards late on to earn his side a point.

The result means Manchester City are second, three points behind Leicester, while West Ham are sixth.

Read about how the game unfolded

Reaction to all of Saturday's Premier League action

A good point, but City's away form a worry

Nicolas Otamendi's defensive lapse almost proved costly for Man City

Of the sides in the top three, Manchester City boast the worst away record.

They have won just four games on the road all season, while their last five away trips have seen them pick up just six points from a possible 18, a far from ideal record for a side challenging for the title.

Against West Ham, it was their inability to complete the basics of defending that was of particular concern.

They switched off in the first minute to allow West Ham to score, but their defending for the hosts' second was particularly poor.

Michail Antonio's quick throw initially caught out Otamendi, but he still had the time to be able to clear before Valencia nipped in to poke home.

Luckily for City they had Aguero to rescue them, but with away trips to struggling Sunderland and Newcastle coming up, Pellegrini's side can ill afford such lapses in those games.

Hammers to challenge for Europe?

After a strong start to last season West Ham dropped away at the turn of the year, winning just three more Premier League games.

The Hammers were similarly impressive in the first half of the current campaign but, crucially, they look capable of continuing that through the second half of the season this time.

They had won three of their four games in 2016 prior to the visit of Manchester City, and boast an impressive record against top seven sides, having lost just twice to the sides around them.

In Dimitri Payet they have one of the most exciting player in the Premier League and he tormented City throughout, with only a world-class save from Hart denying him a goal.

With West Ham six points behind fourth-place Tottenham, a top-four finish might be a tough ask, but their recent form suggests they will be prompting a few nervous glances over the shoulders of their rivals.

Toure struggles to make an impression

Yaya Toure made 36 passes in the opposition half - only David Silva made more - but his accuracy was just 69.4%

There has been plenty of uncertainty about Yaya Toure's future in the newspapers this week, but City boss Manuel Pellegrini has urged the midfield to concentrate on helping his side challenge for the title.

Pellegrini clearly felt Toure is fully focused on the task at hand as he recalled him for the trip to West Ham, but was sluggish at the start.

He was left woefully wanting when Cheikhou Kouyate ghosted past inside a minute to set up Valencia for the opener.

In the end, Toure had more touches of the ball than any other City player, but struggled to make a telling impression in the opposition half, with only defenders Fernando and Otamendi having a worst passing accuracy than the midfielder.

The stats you need to know

Valencia's opening goal was the second quickest goal (53 seconds) in the Premier League this season - Matt Ritchie's goal for Bournemouth against Spurs was timed at 49 seconds.
Sergio Aguero has been involved in eight goals (six goals, two assists) in his eight league appearances against West Ham.
All of Man City's four penalties in the Premier League this season have been taken by different players (Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony, Aleksandar Kolarov and Aguero).
The Hammers have scored three goals via thrown-ins in the Premier League this season - Arsenal are the only other team to score via this method (1).
Aguero's scored his 89th and 90th goals in his 136th Premier League appearance - the same number it took Ruud van Nistelrooy to hit the 90-goal milestone. Only Alan Shearer (90 in 113 games) has done it quicker.

More to follow.

Lineup, Bookings (5) & Substitutions (6)

West Ham United

13 Adrián
12 Jenkinson (Byram - 13' Booked )
19 Collins
02 Reid
03 Cresswell
08 Kouyaté
04 Song
16 Noble Booked
30 Antonio (Moses - 65' )
11 E Valencia (Jelavic - 87' )
27 Payet

Substitutes

01 Randolph
14 Obiang
20 Moses
21 Ogbonna
22 Byram
26 Jelavic
35 Oxford

Manchester City

01 Hart
03 Sagna
30 Otamendi
26 Demichelis Booked
22 Clichy
42 Y Touré Booked
18 Delph (Iheanacho - 76' )
15 Jesús Navas (Sterling - 67' )
17 De Bruyne
21 Silva (Fernando - 83' Booked )
10 Agüero

Substitutes

05 Zabaleta
06 Fernando
07 Sterling
13 Caballero
25 Fernandinho
69 Esmoris Tasende
72 Iheanacho

Ref: Craig Pawson

Att: 34,977

Match Stats

Possession 46 54

Shots

10 16

On target

3 3

Corners

5 2

Fouls

11 15

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, West Ham United 2, Manchester City 2.

90:00 +3:51 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, West Ham United 2, Manchester City 2.

90:00 +3:45

Cheikhou Kouyaté (West Ham United) hits the bar with a header from the centre of the box. Assisted by Dimitri Payet following a set piece situation.

90:00 +3:05 Booking

Booking Fernando (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

90:00 +3:02

Foul by Fernando (Manchester City).

90:00 +3:02

Victor Moses (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.

90:00 +2:50

Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Yaya Touré.

90:00 +1:04

Foul by Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City).

90:00 +1:04

Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

88:57 Booking

Booking Yaya Touré (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.