1. Footymad
  2. Sky Blues Mad
  3. Sky Blues Latest
  4. Sky Blues News

Manchester City 6-1 Kitchee: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Citizens Cruise in Penultimate Tour Match

Manchester City must be getting used to the humid climate of east Asia by now, and they produced a comfortable performance without working too hard to defeat Hong Kong side Kitchee 6-1 on Wednesday.

Guardiola has offered a number of opportunities to his youth prospects during pre-season but he took the opportunity to ensure his key players will be as fit as possible for the new season by fielding a strong side, with Angelino and Claudio Bravo the only anomalies in an otherwise full-strength starting lineup.

FBL-HKG-ENG-PR-MAN CITY-KITCHEE

City were massive favourites before the clash and ended up running away with the contest as Leroy Sane netted a brace alongside strikes from David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Iker Pozo and Nabil Touaizi.

Whilst this wasn't the tough opposition City can expect to face during the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, they look set to be the side to beat again next season.

Manchester City


Key Talking Point​


A key aspect of the game was entirely unrelated to football, with protests expected prior to the match and the native spectators chanting 'free Hong Kong'.

Aside from the protests, City asserted themselves with a dominant performance which only emphasised their attacking prowess, as if we weren't more than aware of it already.

Tidy finishes from David Silva and Sane ensured the match was all-but over come the end of the first half as Guardiola's side entered the much needed break with a 3-0 lead.

With victory virtually guaranteed, Guardiola was allowed the freedom to give a few youngsters an opportunity, including Phil Foden, who made his first appearance of pre-season.

Player Ratings


Starting XI: Bravo (6); Walker (7), Stones (6), Laporte (6), Angelino (6); Gundogan (7), David Silva (7), De Bruyne (8); Sane (9*), Bernardo Silva (8), Sterling (8).

Substitutes: Rodri (7), Danilo (6), Zinchenko (6), Bernabe (6), Doyle (6), Dionkou (6), Foden (7), Touaizi (7), Pozo (7), Harwood-Bellis (6).

STAR MAN - In truth, any of City's attackers could have received their star man award, but it goes to Leroy Sane.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding the future of the Germany international following his lack of game time for the duration of last season, consequently attracting the attention of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

FBL-ENG-PR-HKG-MAN CITY

But if he can continue to perform like this, Guardiola will surely be keen to keep hold of him for the upcoming campaign.

He put his lacklustre performance against Wolves behind him and was a menace to a Kitchee defence who were unable to cope with his slick pace and trickery - not to mention his two goals as well.

Kitchee


Key Talking ​Point

Having faced what was probably their strongest opposition in the club's entire existence, anything other than a loss would have been a significant achievement for Kitchee, but it wasn't to be.

They were, however, unwilling to go down without a fight as they attempted to put on something of a show for their fans, but ultimately the Hong Kong side were simply outclassed by a dominant City side.

FBL-HKG-ENG-PR-MAN CITY-KITCHEE-CHINA-CRIME-PROTEST

Despite putting City under more pressure in the opening 20 minutes than Wolverhampton Wanderers did during the recent Asia Trophy final, keeper Bravo wasn't forced into a save and enjoyed a relaxed evening.

Looking Ahead

After living up to expectation and securing a comfortable win with their near full strength starting XI, ​City take on Yokohama FM in their final pre-season game before their trip to Wembley to face ​Liverpool in the FA Community Shield.

They then follow this up with their opening game of the Premier League season against ​West Ham United, who they will be confident of defeating following their comfortable 4-1 victory in the Asia Trophy semi final.


Source : 90min