Argentine striker Sergio Aguero fired a brace, his first goals since December, to help Manchester City get back on track for their Premier League title challenge as the defending champions thrashed Stoke City 4-1 on Wednesday.
Argentine striker Sergio Aguero fired a brace, his first goals since December, to help Manchester City get back on track for their Premier League title challenge as the defending champions thrashed Stoke City 4-1 on Wednesday.
City, who had not won at the Britannia in the Premier League, took the lead through Aguero's run and finish just after the half-hour mark, but five minutes later Peter Crouch stooped to head a deserved equaliser for Stoke.
James Milner then nodded City back in front, ten minutes after half-time, before Aguero completed his brace from the penalty spot to take Manuel Pellegrini's side to 3-1, the BBC reported.
Aguero converted the penalty after David Silva had been fouled. Samir Nasri then drove in the fourth for the defending champions in the 76th minute to seal the win.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for Pellegrini's men, and ensured their seven-point deficit on Premier League leaders Chelsea did not get any bigger with Jose Mourinho's side beating Everton.
Manchester City had not won in the league since New Year's Day and their run of four consecutive league games without a win prior to arriving at Stoke was their worst since November 2009.
However, the visitors produced an impressive display in the second half, which would give them a much-needed confidence boost in the title race.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes said that he was more than pleased with what they produced in the first half, adding that in the second half there were factors that meant that they were not able to get at City.
Meanwhile, Pellegrini claimed that his side returned to their normal performance, especially in the second half, adding that they scored three goals in the second half and had more chances.
Pellegrini said that it is important, not just the score, but also because it is not easy to score four goals at Stoke, insisting that Hughes' side has been the difficult team for City to score against while he has been there.
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