West Brom 2 Manchester City 3 - Report and pictures

Pep Guardiola's team ran out 4-0 winners twelve months ago and considering each side's recent form there were plenty predicting a similar, perhaps even heavier, defeat this time around.

Their class did shine through eventually, and it looked like being a comfortable victory until Matt Phillips capitalised on a Nicolas Otamendi mistake in injury-time to make it interesting, but this was not the hammering many feared.

And despite defeat extending Albion's winless streak to nine games in all competitions, it was a performance against one of Europe's best teams they can take heart from.

After a frantic five-minute period in the first half when Albion conceded a Leroy Sane opener, equalised through Jay Rodriguez, and conceded again to Fernandinho, the Baggies went toe-to-toe with their visitors, until the hour mark at least.

Tony Pulis, who is under pressure from the fanbase right now, caused City problems by playing two up front and exposing their only weakness, their shaky defence.

Albion fashioned chances, not as many as City, who were wasteful in front of goal, but they did something they haven't been doing in recent weeks - they had a go.

Pulis started with the wing-back system that gave Albion a hint of impetus in the second half at Southampton, bringing Gareth McAuley in for his first league start of the season and handing Allan Nyom a start at right wing back.

He perservered with the midfield trio of Gareth Barry, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Jake Livermore, pushing Rodriguez up front with Salomon Rondon and returning Nacer Chadli to the bench after two poor performances.

Pep Guardiola left Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling on the bench, but City were still boasting immense firepower going forward, including Sane, who scored two at The Hawthorns in the League Cup last month.

And it took less than 10 minutes for the German youngster to add a third, arrowing a shot through Nyom's legs and into the far corner after being found by Fernandinho.

Just like the Carabao Cup match last month, Sane looked to have set City away early, but just like that match, it didn't prove to be so easy.

The opener did spark a goal frenzy, but Albion got in on the action.

The hosts had started brightly thanks to their two-man strike-force of Rondon and Rodriguez, who were pressing high and causing City's backline problems.

The Baggies were forcing City into mistakes and knicking the odd ball in midfield.

And just three minutes after going behind, they were level thanks to a gorgeous ball from Gareth Barry and a deft finish from Rodriguez.

The veteran midfielder beat David Silva to the ball in the centre circle before clipping an inch perfect ball over the top for Albion's strikers to run onto.

At one stage it looked like they might get in each other's way as they crowded out John Stones, but Rodriguez came from deeper and was running faster, so he beat Rondon and the onrushing Ederson to the ball before lobbing City's keeper.

Parity didn't last long though. Two minutes later the league-leaders were back in front, albeit through slightly fortuitous circumstances.

Fernandinho's long-range shot was probably sliding wide before it took a deflection off Barry's boot and squirted in off the post.

Order had been restored, if somewhat cruelly.

That was the third goal in a period of five frenetic minutes but the game settled down after that.

Unsurprisingly it was Guardiola's gilded stars who started to control the ball, but they were mainly limited to long-range efforts.

Albion did nearly concede a shocking goal on the half-hour mark when David Silva, the smallest man on the pitch, was allowed a free header in the box following Kevin De Bruyne's inch-perfect cross, but the big centre-halves were spared their blushes when Silva headed over.

Pulis pulled Rodriguez a little further back to ward off the threat from City left-back Fabian Delph, who was drifting inside and adding an extra man to the visitor's attacks.

But that nullified what had been working for Albion in the opening exchanges and left Rondon too isolated at times.

Albion were most dangerous when they pressed as one in City's defensive third, and five minutes before half-time, Barry fashioned another chance by harrassing Fernandinho into a mistake and feeding Rodriguez on the wing, before his cross was headed just over by Rondon.

The Baggies were playing with more belief than recent weeks, and after half-time, an impressive sweeping move up the pitch that involved Kieran Gibbs, Rondon, Krychowiak and Nyom finished with the Polish midfielder ghosting in at the back post and heading goalwards, although it was gathered by Ederson.

City had the bulk of the ball, as you'd expect, but they were being limited to shots from distance and none of those were troubling Foster, who watched several sail aimlessly over his bar.

The worry was Rodriguez might tire being asked to play two positions, but Pulis's first change was to take Rondon off for Hal Robson-Kanu, minutes before Guardiola swapped Raheem Sterling for Bernardo Silva.

And minutes later the City substitute who put the game out of Albion's reach, just as the home crowd were starting to believe.

It was a goal beautiful in its simplicity. City worked the ball from left to right and found Kyle Walker in acres on the wing.

He fizzed a low cross into the six yard box which Sterling gobbled up for his seventh Premier League goal of the season.

Pulis sent Matt Phillips on for McAuley after that and switched to a back four before giving James McClean 10 minutes to make an impression.

There appeared to be no chance of a rousing comeback from a tiring Albion team who were just trying to keep the score respectable.

Foster pulled of an unbelievable save to stop David Silva adding a fourth three minutes from time and City were strolling.

But then, in injury time, Phillips capitalised on Otamendi's poor chest back to Ederson to reduce the deficit to one.

It was too little too late though, and City saw the game out with relative ease after that.

Albion's recent record against this team is terrible. The Baggies have now won none of their last 16 meetings with the blue half of Manchester, drawing one and losing 15.

They were always second-favourites for this one, with some bookies offering odds as long as 10/1 for them to win.

But this is not the match that Pulis should be judged on. That will come next week, away at newly-promoted Huddersfield Town.

Key moments

10 GOAL CITY - Fernandinho clips a ball over to Sane, who arrows a shot through Allan Nyom's legs and into the far corner for his third goal at The Hawthorns this season.

13 GOAL ALBION - Jay Rodriguez beats Ederson to Gareth Barry's delightful clip over the top and lobs the City goalkeeper.

15 GOAL CITY - Fernandinho's long range shot takes a deflection off Barry and bounces in off the far post.

64 GOAL CITY - Raheem Sterling tucks Kyle Walker's low cross home from

90+1 GOAL ALBION - Matt Phillips capitalises on an Otamendi error and makes it interesting for the final few minutes.

Albion man of the match

Gareth Barry - Had a hand in both of Albion's goals and played well against his former club.

Position in the table

14th - with 10 points from 10 games.

Teams

Albion (5-3-2): Foster, Nyom, Evans, McAuley (Phillips 68), Hegazi, Gibbs, Krychowiak, Livermore, Barry, Rondon (Robson-Kanu 58), Rodriguez. Unused subs: Myhill, Yacob, Brunt, McClean, Chadli.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sane, D Silva, B Silva (Sterling 61), Jesus (Gundogan 82). Unused subs: Bravo, Mangala, Danilo, Toure, Sterling, Aguero.

Referee: Mike Jones (Chester)

Attendance: 24,003