Manchester City surge clear through Sterling as Spurs suffer

Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard in action with Tottenham’s Harry Kane, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, Britain, 9 March– Reuters

LONDON (Reuters): Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Watford lifted the champions four points clear at the top of the Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur’s challenge faltered again with a 2-1 loss at Southampton on Saturday.

On a landmark day for England strikers, with Harry Kane scoring his 200th goal for clubs and country in Spurs’ defeat and Jamie Vardy notching his 100th and 101st for Leicester City in their 3-1 win over Fulham, Sterling took pride of place. 

City, still on course to lift four different trophies, took advantage of Sterling being awarded a contentious goal just after halftime before he struck a minute later and completed his treble in the space of 13 minutes. 

Gerard Deulofeu pulled one back within 17 seconds of being brought on as a substitute but Pep Guardiola’s men never looked threatened as they moved on to 74 points from 30 games, four clear of Liverpool, who host Burnley on Sunday. 

Sterling’s opening goal following a goalless first half was awarded after originally being ruled out for offside.

A long discussion between referee Paul Tierney and his assistant saw the decision reversed with Sterling ruled to have been played onside by Watford’s Daryl Janmaat, whose challenge saw the ball ricochet off the striker’s leg into the net.

Yet if the opener was debatable, there was no argument about the other two as Sterling made it 15 league goals for the season.

England captain Kane’s first-half milestone was eclipsed as third-placed Spurs squandered a lead in a game they were dominating, prompting criticism of his players by manager Mauricio Pochettino.

On an unhappy return to his old St. Mary’s stamping ground, Pochettino, serving the first of a two-match touchline ban, could hardly credit how his side capitulated to two late goals in five minutes from Yan Valery and James Ward-Prowse.

Now without a win in their last four league games, it left the Argentine fuming.

Ward-Prowse’s stunning free-kick winner left Spurs on 61 points, 13 behind Man City and nine adrift of Liverpool.

The win also dented Spurs’ hopes in an ever-tighter top-four battle for Champions League places as they remain just three points ahead of nearest pursuers Manchester United.