- It was a highly controversial start to the second half as Raheem Sterling's goal wa ruled out then allowed
- The Man City forward had been in an offside position but ball was cleared into his knee and spun into the net
- Sterling's second was a lovely move inside the box which ended in Riyad Mahrez squaring the ball to him
- The England international took a David Silva pass inside the box, before clipping the ball home for his hat-trick
- Substitute Gerard Deulofeu gave the Hornets some hope with just over 25 minutes left to go of the match
- However City held on comfortably and now lead Liverpool by four points in the Premier League title race
They won comfortably enough in the end. And beautifully enough, too. Manchester City almost always win beautifully. Raheem Sterling’s second goal in the 3-1 victory over Watford was a tap-in after a typical piece of majestic play from David Silva. His third was a virtuoso’s dance through a packed defence a delicate finish that deceived Ben Foster.
But over all the beauty lay a shadow. With City mired in controversy over allegations about attempts to circumvent Financial Fair Play rules and other practices that have encouraged an alphabet soup of authorities to open investigations into them, that was inevitable before this game kicked off.
In the circumstances, the last thing City needed was another inquest, this time over something that happened on the pitch, but that is what they got. When they are locked in a title race with Liverpool that is so close that every point and every goal is important, it was also inevitable that their first goal should invite fierce scrutiny.
The referee then went into conversation with his assistant and they ruled the ball for Sterling took a touch off Daryl Janmaat
