Manchester City handed Tottenham Hotspur their worst English Premier League defeat since 1996, 6-0, on Sunday, with Álvaro Negredo, Jesús Navas (2) and Sergio Agüero (2) on target for the hosts.
The 6-0 win lifts City — who have scored a league-leading 34 goals in the top-flight this term (10 more than any other side) — to fourth place in the EPL table, while dropping Spurs to an unimpressive ninth.
Somewhat surprisingly, Spurs have been among the most uninnovative sides in the Premier League this season; Cardiff City, Fulham, Norwich City and Stoke City have scored more goals than the North Londoners in 2013/14.
The kids are not alright at White Hart Lane, as evidenced by Sunday’s embarrassing defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
The main takeaways from Sunday’s match revolve around the usual suspects: Álvaro Negredo, Sergio Agüero and Joey Barton.
The Agüero-Negredo partnership has proven to be the best in the Premier League this season, combining for 15 goals and six assists in 23 league appearances.
Negredo, who joined City from Sevilla for an initial fee of £16.4 million in the summer, has kept the likes of Edin Džeko and Stevan Jovetić on the bench, and rightfully so.
“I think Kun [Aguero], after Messi and Ronaldo, is [in] the top three players in the world,”said Pellegrini after his side mauled Spurs in front of 47,228 witnesses.
“He [Negredo] is the perfect player for the Premier League.
“I think he is a very important player and very happy here in England. The way the team plays is very comfortable for him and it is easier [to play alongside] beside Kun Aguero.”
Negredo — 18/1 to net a hat-trick against Viktoria Plzeň in midweek — has tallied 10 goals and four assists in 18 appearances across all competitions for City this season.
Heartless
A section of City’s home supporters rubbed salt deep into the wounds of Tottenham (as if losing by 6 goals to nil was not bad enough) by showcasing Gareth Bale’s trademark heart sign.
There is nothing wrong with having a little fun at the expense of Spurs, right?
@Joey7Barton
Now then, the final storyline from Sunday’s one-sided match was Joey Barton.
The Queens Park Rangers midfielder took to Twitter to blast Spurs’ performance and their recent signings, including Erik Lamela, Lewis Holtby, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado.
Barton tweeted: “Holtby dragged. Spurs seem to have spent a lot of money on bang average players. Soldado, Paulinho, Lamela and Holtby.
“Baldini has had someone’s kegs down massively with these signings. Lamela £30m? Soldado £26m? Paulinho £17m? £109m total spend? Nah…
“I’d destroy both the midfielders Spurs have wasted money on and I’m a championship player. Albeit, an exceptional one…
“They paid £10m more for Lamela than City did for Yaya? Go figure? And Baldini worked for Roma last year?”
From what the aforementioned players (Holtby, Lamela, Paulinho and Soldado) have shown, Barton’s criticisms are certainly warranted.
With that said, Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiricheș have shown glimpses of brilliance in their short time at the club.
But that has not exactly translated into goals, and more importantly wins, in recent weeks, which will surely worry Andre Villas-Boas and the club’s supporters.
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