West Brom 2-3 Man City: Guardiola's side restore five-points lead in EPL

Manchester City responded to Manchester United's win over Tottenham by seeing off West Brom at The Hawthorns as Sane, Fernandinho & Sterling on target.

Manchester City restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 victory over West Brom on Saturday.

Goals from Leroy Sane, Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling made it eight league wins in a row for Pep Guardiola's side and kept the title race firmly under their control.

Manchester United had moved to within two points with their 1-0 win over Tottenham earlier in the day but City looked unlikely to concede any ground to their rivals after Sane fired home the opener inside 10 minutes.

The Baggies responded swiftly through Jay Rodriguez but City restored their lead two minutes later via a deflected Fernandinho strike.

Guardiola's side continued to dominate possession and eventually found the killer third goal with a little over 25 minutes remaining, as substitute Sterling finished a slick move for his seventh goal in eight league games.

Matt Phillips struck a stoppage-time consolation but it could not derail City's spectacular run ahead of next week's Champions League trip to Napoli, while West Brom remain just two points outside the bottom three after their 12th defeat to City in a row in the top flight.

Match reports:

10:  GOAL! It's been coming and Manchester City take the lead! Sane, who scored both goals in the Carabao Cup win over the Baggies, has found the net again. Fernandinho fed the ball into the German, who had plenty of space, and he turns Nyom before firing into the far corner of the net.

13:  GOAL! Where did that come from?! West Brom immediately find a way back into the game. Barry lofts a ball forward and Jay Rodriguez has the goal at his mercy, with Ederson coming off his line but looking far from convincing and Rodriguez lofts the ball over the top. Sloppy defending again, this time from the Citizens.

15: Goal again! Manchester City find themselves in front as Sane plays it centrally into Fernandinho, who strikes a low shot at goal that bobbles past Foster and bounces in off the post.

26:  CHANCE! Manchester City should be 3-1 up, a superb curling cross from De Bruyne finds David Silva inside the six-yard area with plenty of space but the Spaniard heads over the bar. Admittedly, he's probably not the man the Citizens would have wanted at the end of that opportunity.

27: CLOSE! Silva should be scoring there!! It's a superb pass from De Bruyne and he manages to pick out Silva in the middle of the six yard box.

Despite the towering defenders around him, Silva jumps to meet the cross, but he cannot nod it into the back of the net as it flies over the crossbar. 

42: CLOSE! Rondon should be scoring there, and it would have been a brilliant time to equalise. 

Barry does brilliantly well again, picking out Rodriguez on the right flank. He in turns puts a superb ball into the box which meets the head of Rondon, but he can only direct it over the crossbar. Big chance missed for West Brom there.

HALF-TIME: Leroy Sane opened for Man City before Jay Rodriguez equalised for West Brom three minutes later. But Fernandinho popped up with a great strike not long after to see Pep Guardiola's side ahead at the break.

Both David Silva and Salomon Rondon could have scored the next goal for their respective sides, but were just a whisker wide. 

56: WIDE! Another wayward effort from De Bruyne as Sane clips a ball back into his path, with the Belgian firing high and wide over the crossbar from the top of the box. 

64: GOAL! Manchester City seal it! Sterling, off the bench, tucks home from close ranger after a superb ball across the face of goal by Walker. Easy as you like, that should be another three points for the Citizens.

75: SAVE! A superb reading of the game from Foster there as Fernandinho's weighted pass sets Jesus through on goal.

Any other goalkeeper may have panicked, but Foster is off his line to tackle the striker and seeing the ball out of feet. 

87: SAVE! A superb acrobatic save from Foster there as David Silva goes for goal in the six yard box, but the goalkeeper makes a point blank save with his foot to deny City a fourth.

90+2:  GOAL! It's another goal against the run of play and more poor defending from the Citizens. Otamendi looked to chest the ball back to Ederson but wasn't aware of Phillips' presence and gifts a goal to the substitute.

West Bromwich XI: Foster, Nyom, Gibbs, Evans, Hegazi, Livermore, Barry, Krychowiak, McAuley, Rodriguez, Rondon.

Subs: Myhill, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, Phillips, Brunt, McClean, Chadli.

Man City XI:  Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sane, B Silva, D Silva, Jesus.

Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Sterling, Gundogan, Aguero, Mangala, Toure.