Sergio Aguero needs just one more goal to equal Manchester City’s all-time record tally after netting in Saturday’s 5-0 rout over Crystal Palace.
The Argentinian scored City’s fourth and his 176th for the club in the 79th minute to move closer to the record set by Eric Brook in 1939.
Here’s a look at Aguero’s diplay.
LINK-UP PLAY
Aguero must have been wishing he was occupying his normal central role in front of goal when City scored their second and third as Raheem Sterling capitalised on some slack Palace defending. As it was, Aguero was involved in the build up for both efforts.
He started the move from deep for City’s second which culminated in Leroy Sane’s cross to Sterling and moments later it was Aguero squaring for the ex-Liverpool forward to score another.
FINISHING
Usually Aguero’s strong point, he was wasteful with most of the opportunities that came his way and when he did manage to get on the scoresheet, he was grateful that goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was unable to keep his powerful header out despite it being directed more or less straight at him.
Prior to that the 29-year-old had fired a one-on-one opportunity at Hennessey’s foot and scooped over Sane’s cut across.
Sergio Aguero (L)
EXPECTATION
There was a sense Aguero, and the rest of the Etihad Stadium, knew that a slice of history was awaiting him every time he got in advanced positions.
That perhaps affected him when he tried to take on one man too many during a second-half run and before the break he opted to go for goal and fired into a defender when an overlapping team-mate may have been a wiser option.
IMPACT
As it was, this was not to be the day for Aguero, even if his seventh of the season inched him ever closer to Brook’s record. City did not need their talisman to repeat last weekend’s hat-trick at Watford anyway with with Sane and Sterling in such scintillating form.
As his manager Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference regarding Aguero breaking the record: “That is going to happen – he is going to take that record.” Just not this weekend.