Manchester City v Watford 24/09/24

In a two horse race odds of 20/1 are very long indeed, but less surprising if one of the competitors are Manchester City.

It’s almost two years since the Citizens last tasted defeat in their publicly funded home stadium. Against Watford they have won fifteen games straight, the last five by an aggregate score of 26-2.

Understandably grounds for optimism amongst the travelling support were in short supply. The hornet’s prospects dimmed even further when they conceded an early goal. With only five minutes gone at the Etihad it was once again a case of shotgun, meet foot.

Ryan Porteous’s calamitous back pass lacked pace and came up short, allowing James McAtee to pounce. Guardiola’s young novice squared the ball for Jeremy Doku who neatly placed his finish beyond Jonathan Bond.

Watford’s equaliser came fifteen minutes later following a rumbustious foray from Kwadwo Baah, who shot low past Stefan Ortega. At least it appeared they had scored, the slight young Kaden Braithwate wilting like spinach under heat as Baah muscled his way through on goal.

The German’s shoulder barge was Haarlandesque, but Baah was not given the licence afforded to the Norwegian superstar. Despite the absence of protest from any City player the referee promptly ruled the goal out.

Predictably the Abu Dhabi owned club dominated play, the Watford keeper making a string of saves. When Matheus Nunes scored City’s second the floodgates loomed, but in a defiant second half display Watford kept City at bay.

An improbable draw seemed on the cards when, in a late offensive flurry Tom Ince curled in a fine goal. Parity however, remained just out of reach.

Bar the early jitters, Tom Cleverley could be satisfied with Watford’s performance. Few would quibble with his belief that City “are the best team in the world”. The two heaviest defeats of his playing career were suffered at their hands, the biggest an 8-0 reversal under Sanchez Flores.

The nadir was the 2019 cup final, the day that City achieved the game’s first domestic treble. Javi Gracia’s Watford endured a humiliating 6-0 drubbing. There hadn’t been a cup final scoreline like this since 1903, when Bury steamrolled Derby.

The treble triumph was achieved in the eleventh year of Sheikh Mansour’s ownership. In May of this year City won their fourth consecutive premier league title. They have won six of the last seven. Exactly how this level of dominance has been achieved is at the heart of the 115 (now 130) charges currently being addressed near St Pauls Cathedral in London.

The charges being examined at the International Dispute Resolution Centre span almost a decade of Premier league history. City have been accused of non co-operation and of failing to provide accurate financial information, of essentially acting in bad faith. All of which they deny.

Lord Pannick KC is indeed on the streets of London, and the head of City’s legal team will no doubt be digging extensively into the ‘comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence’ that the club have always maintained is at their disposal.

Next up for Watford, Sunderland.