Manchester City got their Barclays Premier League title bid up and running with a comfortable 3-0 win at West Brom thanks to their old favourites.
Yes #WBA were bobbins tonight, but #MCFC tore them apart. Technically that was a class above anything any of their rivals did at the weekend
The spotlight was on new £49million man Raheem Sterling, but it was David Silva and Yaya Toure who stole the show to help ease City to three points.
Toure was influential in City’s first two goals, first producing a shot which was flicked by Silva and then deflected off defender Craig Dawson on its way in, and the second a fine finish before the 25-minute mark.
Vincent Kompany then completed a comfortable triumph for the visitors just before the hour. City, and their old guard, were too strong for the Baggies, who saw Saido Berahino waste their best chance.
Sterling started in support of Wilfried Bony, with Sergio Aguero on the bench, while Albion handed debuts to Rickie Lambert, James Chester and James McClean.
Albion’s new £12million record buy Salomon Rondon was unveiled to the crowd hours after signing from Zenit St Petersburg, along with Arsenal loanee Serge Gnabry.
– INTERVIEW: Ferdinand on Man U, Terry and losing finals
– Premier League 2015-16 fixtures: Interactive Infographic
– INSIDE STORY: Frosinone preparing for life in Serie A
City threatened without testing Myhill but deservedly took the lead after nine minutes with a goal which happened almost in slow motion.
Silva had already gone close as his cross shot found the waiting Jesus Navas at the far post and he teed up Toure on the edge of the box.
The midfielder was gifted time to shoot and his mis-hit effort was flicked on by Silva before hitting the helpless Dawson and crawling across the line.
Toure then swapped passes with Bony before unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner from 20 yards for the second goal.
City kept Albion at bay until three minutes from half-time, when Berahino clipped over Joe Hart only to be ruled offside.
692 – @MCFC completed 692 passes in this game; 211 more than any other team on MD1 of the 2015-16 Premier League season. Impressive
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 10, 2015
West Brom came out strongly after the break. First, Lambert’s 30-yard free-kick whistled over before Berahino’s tame finish fell to the under-worked Hart.
The striker should have done better and was left to rue the miss when City made it 3-0 on 59 minutes as Kompany glanced in Silva’s corner with his shoulder.
The contest was over and the visitors had the luxury of bringing Aguero off the bench, while Samir Nasri also replaced Sterling.
Hart gathered James Morrison’s header with 14 minutes left but there was no way back for the Baggies.
Aguero almost added a fourth with two minutes left, but his low six-yard effort was blocked by Myhill before the goalkeeper saved Aleksandar Kolarov’s stoppage-time free-kick.
