Man City End Campaign With Battering Of Norwich

Manchester City wrapped up their Premier League campaign with an emphatic 5-0 home victory over already-relegated Norwich City on Sunday in Spanish midfielder David Silva’s final league game for last season’s champions.

City’s goals came from Gabriel Jesus, a Kevin de Bruyne double, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez as they finished the season in second place with 81 points, 18 behind champions Liverpool. Norwich ended bottom of the standings on 21 points.

Brazil striker Jesus stabbed home City’s opener from close range in the 11th minute from Sterling’s low cross after the England winger sparked panic on Norwich’s right with a quick exchange of passes with De Bruyne.

Belgium international De Bruyne added the second with a sumptuous strike just before halftime, collecting Kyle Walker’s pass on the edge of the box and curling the ball past Norwich keeper Tim Krul and into the top corner.

Silva, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was involved in Manchester City’s third, passing wide to De Bruyne, whose inch-perfect pass played in Sterling to slot home past Krul in the 79th minute.

Substitute Mahrez heaped more misery on Norwich in the 83rd minute with a right-footed strike before De Bruyne scored his second of the night in the 90th minute, curling a shot past the helpless Krul.

Norwich, who ended the season with 10 league defeats in a row, had the ball in the net in the eighth minute, but Onel Hernandez’s effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

Hernandez was also unlucky not to score in the second half when he dribbled through a host of defenders only to see his shot smothered by goalkeeper Ederson, whose clean sheet won him the league’s Golden Glove award.

Chances were at a premium for Norwich but striker Teemu Pukki passed up a gilt-edged opportunity with his team still just a goal behind, shooting straight at Ederson after finding himself one-on-one against the Brazilian keeper.

The match marked Silva’s 309th league appearance for the club he joined a decade ago, and the 34-year-old nearly scored in the 54th minute after carving out a yard of space in the Norwich box, but Krul reacted well to palm his shot away.

Reuters