Gabriel Jesus scores four as Manchester City romp to 5-1 win over Watford

Manchester City did precisely what they wished to do: beat Watford and give Liverpool 24 hours to contemplate a four-point deficit before their Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday.

If the tussle between two supreme sides is the title race’s headline story, this game’s subplot featured a first Premier League hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus The 25-year-old went on to add a fourth which will pique the interest of potential suitors considering he has a year left on his terms and is rumoured to be keen on leaving the Etihad.

Such matters are for the close season. The present is all about how City ticked off another match in their tilt at defending the championship for a second time under Pep Guardiola: they now have five left so remain firmly in pole position to do so.

Their win over Brighton in midweek may have been nervy until Riyad Mahrez broke the deadlock early in the second half but it was a completely different story against Watford as the irrepressible Jesus required only four minutes to settle them. João Cancelo swept in a cross that reached fellow full-back Oleksandr Zincehenko on the left. The Ukrainian drilled the ball along back into the area, and Jesus stuck a leg out to divert past Ben Foster. The early strike provoked a question: might Watford’s last visit in September 2019, when they were drubbed 8-0 here, find an unwanted echo?

City hunted for more. Kevin De Bruyne swung in a pair of corners that hadthose in green in disarray but in a topsy-turvy phase the champions were next to be put under pressure. Cancelo over-dribbled near halfway and ceded the balland allowing Emmanuel Dennis to race towards Ederson before Zinchenko made a second telling intervention, executing a slide-tackle that expertly