Manchester City travelled to Stoke City on Saturday looking to make it back-to-back wins at the start of the new Premier League campaign.
A first-half double from Sergio Aguero, one of which came from the penalty spot, saw the visitors take a comfortable 2-0 lead into the interval of the early kickoff.
Bojan Krkic hit back for Stoke from the spot early in the second period, but Man City secured all the points in the latter stages when Nolito fired home from close range, before the Spaniard added his second in stoppage time.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
11.31amMorning all! Sports Mole's live Premier League coverage for the 2016-17 campaign continues from the Britannia as Stoke City welcome Manchester City in what promises to be a fascinating contest. Pep Guardiola enjoyed a home win in his first league game in charge last weekend, but Stoke away is a very different prospect. It is not quite a wet, cold and windy Tuesday night at the Britannia though!
11.34amThis afternoon will be the 110th meeting between these two teams in all competitions. Man City lead the head-to-head 48 wins to Stoke's 37, but they have found the Potters a tough nut to crack at the Britannia in recent seasons. Indeed, Stoke recorded a 2-0 victory in the corresponding match last term and have only lost one of their eight Premier League games at home to Man City.
11.37amSince 2008, Stoke versus Man City has been a fixture based in the Premier League and FA Cup, but they did not lock horns between 1999 and 2008, with the clashes before that occurring in the old division two, which is an indication of how far both clubs have come in a relatively short space of time!
11.40amRight, let me bring you up-to-speed with the team news from the Britannia. Has Pep Guardiola shuffled his pack after their Champions League exploits during the week? Let's have a look shall we!
11.43amTEAMS!
STOKE: Given; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Imbula, Whelan; Bojan, Allen, Arnautovic; Diouf
MAN CITY: Caballero; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Silva, Fernandinho; Navas, De Bruyne, Sterling; Aguero
11.46amThe big news from the Stoke camp is that Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored a brilliant free kick against Middlesbrough last weekend, is out of this match with an ankle problem. The Swiss's absence allows Wales international Joe Allen to make his full debut for the Potters in the only change from the 1-1 draw at Boro last time out. Marko Arnautovic, who signed a new deal this summer, starts despite a slight thigh problem, while Mame Biram Diouf will once again lead the line in what is a 4-2-3-1 formation.
© Getty Images
11.49amAs for Man City, Guardiola has made three changes from the team that beat Sunderland 2-1 in the Premier League last weekend. Pablo Zabaleta, Jesus Navas and Nicolas Otamendi are the three players that enter, with Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Nolito all dropping out. Sergio Aguero, fresh from his hat-trick against Steaua Bucuresti in the Champions League on Tuesday, leads the line. Meanwhile, England international Joe Hart is once again on the bench as Willy Caballero is selected between the sticks.
11.52amSo there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now just about 40 minutes from kickoff on this pleasant afternoon in Stoke. I shall speak about the hosts a little bit later, but let's start with Man City, who will enter this match off the back of a 5-0 win at Steaua Bucuresti in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Tuesday night. It was a very, very strong performance from the Citizens.
11.55amGuardiola also enjoyed a winning start to his Premier League career – a 2-1 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad last Saturday night. It was far from straightforward as Jermain Defoe cancelled out an early Sergio Aguero penalty to leave the score level, but a late own goal from former Man United defender Paddy McNair secured all the points for the Blues. It was almost a damp opener for Guardiola, but a McNair, for some unknown reason, decided to deflect the ball into his own net on his Sunderland debut.
FT | City 2-1 S'land
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 13, 2016
Pep is off to a winning start in the #PL as City leave it late! #cityvsafc #mcfc pic.twitter.com/YAtFrHBKJ0
11.58amThere is no getting away from the fact that it was a disappointing 2015-16 Premier League campaign for Man City, who finished fourth and as a result, need to come through the playoffs to qualify for the Champions League. Guardiola will be expected to challenge for the league title this season and the Spaniard has been backed with significant funds in the transfer market.
12.02pmIndeed, John Stones has arrived for £50m, while Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus have also joined for big money. Experienced faces in the shape of Nolito and Ilkay Gundogan have also made the move to the Etihad and more are expected to follow before the transfer window slams shut. The futures of Joe Hart and Yaya Toure are also high on the agenda - both could well leave this month.
12.05pmIn terms of what is ahead for Man City, they will welcome Steaua Bucuresti to the Etihad for the second leg of their Champions League playoff on Wednesday night, before hosting West Ham United in the league next weekend. Then comes the small matter of the Manchester derby at Manchester United on September 10, which will see Guardiola lock horns with Jose Mourinho once again!
What's your #cityview on the line up today? Got enough in the locker to bring home the 3 points? #stokevcity pic.twitter.com/3HJUu02tmD
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 20, 2016
12.08pmStoke, meanwhile, opened their 2016-17 Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon. Alvaro Negredo sent the hosts into a 1-0 lead early on, but a brilliant free kick from Xherdan Shaqiri in the second period secured a share of the spoils. It was a decent start to the campaign, but Mark Hughes will be looking for more this afternoon.
12.12pmIt has not exactly been the busiest of summer transfer windows for Stoke, although Joe Allen has arrived from Liverpool, while Egyptian international Ramadan Sobhi has made the move from Ahly. The Potters also managed to tie Marko Arnautovic to a new contract and Stoke certainly look capable of pushing for a potential Europa League spot this season, if they can avoid injuries.
© Getty Images
12.15pmIncredibly, Stoke have finished ninth in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons and that still represents their highest ever finish in England's top flight. They fell three points short of their 2014-15 total last season, but still managed to win 14 of their 38 fixtures. That said, 15 defeats will be seen as a disappointment for a team of Stoke's ilk. Not long until kickoff here!
12.18pmIn terms of what is ahead for the Potters, they will travel to Stevenage in the League Cup on Tuesday night, before making the trip to Everton in the Premier League next weekend. September then brings clashes with Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Brom, before taking on Manchester United, Sunderland, Hull City and Swansea City in the month of October. Time for my pre-match prediction...
12.22pmPREDICTION! I fancy a score draw this afternoon. If I had to pick a winner then I would be leaning towards Man City, but I think that Stoke have enough about them to avoid defeat on home soil. Man City only have one obvious sitting midfielder and I fancy the hosts to have some joy. I am backing 1-1.
© Getty Images
12.25pmA reminder of the two teams this afternoon...
STOKE: Given; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Imbula, Whelan; Bojan, Allen, Arnautovic; Diouf
MAN CITY: Caballero; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Silva, Fernandinho; Navas, De Bruyne, Sterling; Aguero
12.28pmHere we go then - the pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. It is Mark Hughes against Pep Guardiola, Stoke City against Manchester City. Guardiola is two from two this season, but this is his toughest test thus far. Here's to an entertaining match!
0 minKICKOFF! Man City kick things off at the Britannia...
2 min... you just get the feeling that the first goal this afternoon - if there indeed is one - could be vital. Both sets of supporters are in fine voice in the early moments here as Stoke enjoy possession.
4 minIt has been a decent start from the home side as Imbula shows excellent ability in midfield before finding Arnautovic, but the attacker cannot move past the challenge of Zabaleta. Not an awful lot from Man City at the moment though as they attempt to settle into some sort of shape.
5 minReferee Mike Dean does not like Arnautovic - he keeps whistling for fouls against him.
6 minOhhh.. close for Man City. Silva threads a super pass through towards De Bruyne, but it just runs away from the Belgian at the final moment and Given can collect. Man City are settling here.
7 minCHANCE! Terrific feet from Aguero as the Argentine drives into the Stoke box before attempting to pick out a cross into Sterling, but he gets it wrong and the ball is out for a throw-in!
10 minAguero continues to cause Stoke problems as he drops his shoulder before striking towards goal, but Shawcross is on hand to make the block. Moments later, Sterling shifts the ball to create some space and attempts to pick out the top corner, but his effort is just too high. Great feet there.
12 minStoke just need to be a little bit careful here as Man City continue to boss possession in the final third. We have not seen too much from the likes of Bojan and Diouf for the home side thus far.
14 minMan City have had 65% of the possession thus far and in truth, that is not much of a surprise. Stoke boss Mark Hughes will not be too concerned with that statistic, but he will be concerned with Man City's incisive passing in the final third. Still goalless with 14 minutes on the clock this afternoon.
16 minArnautovic races away for Stoke as he beats the offside trap, but the attacker cannot find a pass into Imbula and the attack breaks down in a wide position. Both teams look open at the back here.
17 minMan City threaten once again as De Bruyne delivers a super cross from the right, but Aguero cannot beat Shawcross to the ball and Allen manages to challenge Sterling at the vital moment.
18 minMuch better from the home side as Arnautovic once again delivers from a wide position, but Imbula, instead of shooting, looks for a pass into Diouf and Man City can scramble clear!
21 minImbula has been brilliant for Stoke in the opening 21 minutes of this match and another powerful run sets up a half-chance for Allen, whose low effort is deflected wide of the post. Man City started on the front foot this afternoon, but the home side are starting to cause a number of problems.
22 minFree kick Stoke in a dangerous position...
22 min... straight into the wall from Arnautovic.
24 minHalf-chance for Man City this time as Sterling finds space inside the box and attempts to pass the ball into the far corner, but Given reads it and does well to get down and make the save.
26 minYou just get the feeling that the first goal this afternoon - if there indeed is one - could be vital. Stoke are causing plenty of problems at the moment as they continue to press high up the field and Man City are being forced into a couple of mistakes. As always, the wind is getting up in Stoke!
26 minSuper defending from Pieters as the Stoke full-back manages to turn a Sterling cross behind.
26 minPENALTY MAN CITY!
26 minBOOKING! Shawcross (Stoke) is booked for holding Otamendi's shirt in the box!
27 minGOAL! Stoke 0-1 Man City (Aguero, pen)
27 minAguero sends the ball into the far corner to hand Man City a 1-0 lead here.
28 minSAVE! Given is down to keep out Aguero as Man City threaten once again.
31 minAs expected, Stoke boss Mark Hughes is not best pleased at the moment. His team were really playing well before Shawcross conceded that penalty, but for me, the decision was harsh. The centre-back held Otamendi's shirt, but it was something that happens 10, 15 times every game.
33 minNavas is very, very fortunate to escape a booking for a rash challenge on Wollscheid.
35 minStoke are not pleased with the referee's penalty call...
It will be interesting to see if Mike Dean is fair in his decision making should the same happen in the opposite area. It looked soft.
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 20, 2016
36 minGOAL! Stoke 0-2 Man City (Aguero)
37 minMan City have their second of the match as Aguero rises to head a super De Bruyne free kick into the bottom corner. That might well be a killer blow to Stoke's chances in this match.
39 minCHANCES! Couple of excellent chances for Stoke in quick succession. First, Bardsley stings the palms of Caballero with a fine volley, before Diouf heads wide from inside the box. The home side also had a shout for a penalty in there, but Mike Dean was not interested.
41 minStoke do not look comfortable at the back here as Man City continue to deliver from wide positions and the home supporters are becoming increasingly angered by the referee Mike Dean here!
43 minSafe to say that Stoke need to score the next goal in this match if they are to stand a chance of picking up a positive result. One more for Man City and it would be game, set and match here.
45 minHuge cheers from the Stoke faithful as Zabaleta is flagged offside. The home supporters feel that they have had some poor decisions in this first period and I really have to agree with them.
45 minBOOKING! Bojan (Stoke) is booked for dissent.
45 min+1We are into the first of two added minutes at the end of the first period.
45 min+2HALF-TIME: Stoke 0-2 Man City
1.18pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Man City leading 2-0 at the Britannia courtesy of a double from Aguero, one of which came from the penalty spot. Stoke have had their moments in the final third, but wastefulness has cost them the chance to register here.
1.23pmSTATISTICS! Man City have dominated the possession with 61%, while they have hit the target with four of their seven attempts thus far. Stoke, meanwhile, only managed one shot on target from three attempts. There have been two yellow cards, both for Stoke, with Shawcross and Bojan in the book.
1.28pmBENCH WATCH! Stoke boss Mark Hughes has plenty of forward options on his bench this afternoon, with Walters, Crouch and summer signing Sobhi all capable of making a difference in the second period. A strong Man City bench, meanwhile, includes Delph, Iheanacho, Nolito and Fernando.
1.32pm
The half-time whistle blows and the Potters have it all to do to get back into this game HT: #SCFC 0-2 #MCFC pic.twitter.com/lwlOeJgtOc
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 20, 2016
46 minRESTART! Stoke resume the action at the Britannia...
47 min... no changes from either side at the break, but I suspect that Hughes will already be considering changes as the second period gathers pace. Stoke need to start the second half on top here.
48 minBOOKING! Zabaleta (Man City) is booked for a poor challenge on Arnautovic.
48 minPENALTY STOKE!
49 minBOOKING! Sterling (Man City) is now booked for holding Shawcross inside the box!
49 minGOAL! Stoke 1-2 Man City (Bojan, pen)
50 minGame on! Bojan sends his penalty into the top corner and we are 2-1 here!
52 minHalf-chance for the away side this time as Navas drives down the left before delivering a super cross towards the near post, but Shawcross just does enough ahead of Aguero. We now have a proper game on our hands as Stoke threaten down the other end courtesy of a long, floated ball.
54 minI would be astounded if we had seen the last of the goals in this match as both teams continue to commit players in the final third of the field. Whatever Hughes said at the break, it worked!
57 minDiouf is bundled to the ground outside the Man City box and referee Dean decides to play the advantage, which comes to nothing - more boos from the home supporters! Man City are still trying to play from the back at the moment, but Caballero's distribution has been very poor indeed.
59 minReally good pressure from Stoke in the last couple of minutes as the home side force two corners in quick succession, which Caballero is forced to turn behind. Still more than 30 minutes left here.
61 minDangerous from Man City as Sterling drives to the edge of the box before setting up Navas, who delivers from the left, but Shawcross is on hand to make the block. The resulting corner is met by Kolarov and drifts across goal before the home side clear. Plenty happening at the moment here.
63 minStill no movement on either bench, but you suspect that both managers will be considering changes at this stage of the contest. Stoke currently have possession inside their own half here.
66 minBOOKING! De Bruyne (Man City) is booked for a late challenge on Wollscheid.
68 minYou just get the feeling that there is another goal in this match as both teams continue to commit players in the final third of the field. Stoke fancy it at the moment as they pass and probe here.
70 minMAN CITY SUB! Nolito replaces Navas for the visitors.
71 minBOOKING!! Allen (Stoke) is booked for a late challenge on Zabaleta.
73 minSTOKE SUB! Walters replaces Imbula in Stoke's first change.
75 minNot an awful lot to report in terms of chances in the last few minutes. Well, since Stoke found the back of the net from the penalty spot. Both teams have had moments in the final third, but neither goalkeeper has been too worried since Bojan netted. Still more than 15 minutes left to play here.
76 minYou wonder whether this might be a game for a certain Peter Crouch? Who knows!
78 minBoth teams are trying to play through defence at the moment, which is creating some problems. You sense that a mistake, or a moment of brilliance, might produce a fourth goal in this match. Time is just starting to move away from the Potters as the 80-minute mark approaches here.
81 minPenalty shout for Stoke as Walters goes over inside the box, but this time, Dean says no! He even asks Walters to rise to his feet. Sterling appeared to make contact with the Irishman there!
83 minMAN CITY SUB! Iheanacho replaces Aguero in Man City's second change.
85 minWalters has the chance to break away for the home side, but the Irishman's pass into a wide position is disappointing and another attack breaks down. Still 2-1 Man City with 85 played.
86 minSilva hits the side-netting for Man City after breaking into the Stoke box.
86 minGOAL! Stoke 1-3 Man City (Nolito)
87 minMan City have their third and surely secure all the points as Iheanacho, having passed up the chance to score himself, delivers a low cross into Nolito, who fires home from close range.
88 minMAN CITY SUB! Delph replaces De Bruyne for the visitors.
89 minSTOKE SUB! Sobhi replaces Arnautovic for the home side.
90 min+1We are into the first of five additional minutes at the Britannia.
90 min+3Man City are the team looking to add to the scoring at the moment as they continue to pass and probe in the final third of the field. Stoke have run out of legs in the last 15, 20 minutes.
90 min+3BOOKING! Stones (Man City) is booked for a poor challenge on Diouf.
90 min+5It is going to be six points from two games for Man City and just one from two for Stoke. Just a reminder that we have the 3pm kickoffs covered in the Premier League so stick with us!
90 min+5GOAL! Stoke 1-4 Man City (Nolito)
90 min+5Man City have their fourth of this match as Sterling drives through before setting up Nolito, who taps home for his second goal of the afternoon. It is tough on Stoke this score!
90 min+6FULL-TIME: Stoke 1-4 Man City
2.28pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the match to a close with Man City running out 4-1 winners courtesy of doubles from Aguero and Nolito. Guardiola's side have now joined Manchester United on six points in the Premier League, while Stoke remain on the single point. That is just about it from me this afternoon, but be sure to stick around for all of the coverage from the 3pm starts!
