Aguero scores hat-trick, Man City crushes Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

The Argentine striker scored all three goals in a 3-0 win over Chelsea, helping the Manchester team climb to third place in the Premier League.

Man City won impressively after a long period of being outclassed when playing away at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Reuters.

Aguero was instrumental with his hat-trick but former Chelsea man Kevin de Bruyne also played a key role in the London derby. The Belgian midfielder returned to Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving in 2014 and continued his impressive performances from the Champions League.

De Bruyne assisted Aguero's opener in the 33rd minute before launching the attack for the second goal early in the second half. Chelsea were reduced to 10 men by the end of the match after goalkeeper Courtois was shown a straight red card for a foul on Fernandinho in the box. Aguero completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot and sealed a 3-0 win.

A hat-trick against Chelsea helped Aguero break away in the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot with 21 goals, equal to Jamie Vardy and only one goal behind leader Harry Kane. In addition, Aguero also set a record of scoring more than 20 goals in each of three consecutive Premier League seasons, something only legends Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Les Ferdinand have achieved.

Defeating the former champions helped Man City take over Arsenal's third place on the table. Man City is one point ahead of the Gunners and four points ahead of their neighbours Man Utd. Arsenal will reclaim third place if they beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, April 17.

Meanwhile, Chelsea is not too concerned about this defeat because Coach Hiddink's team has no goals for this season. Chelsea is stuck in 10th place with 44 points, 12 points behind the European Cup position.

Before the match in round 34, Man City had won only one of their last 17 away trips to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's home ground is a dangerous place for the blue half of Manchester but is no longer sacred when the two teams are in opposite positions. Man City have just won the right to the last four of the Champions League while Chelsea are struggling in the middle of the Premier League table and have considered the season over since March.

Courtois' red card ended the match early. Photo: Reuters.

The home advantage helped Chelsea play aggressively in the first half. The Blues created many chances in front of Joe Hart's goal, but Man City responded with sharp counter-attacks. Man City warned Chelsea when De Bruyne rushed down to face Courtois, but the home team was still not alert before conceding the first goal.

From a Chelsea corner kick, the ball was quickly brought down to the edge of the box by De Bruyne before being passed back to Aguero. The Argentine striker's shot hit the toe of Gary Cahill's boot and changed direction, leaving Courtois helpless. The scenario continued early in the second half when Chelsea pressed forward and were counter-attacked immediately after a missed chance by Diego Costa. The ball was passed from De Bruyne to Nasri before Aguero put it into the Chelsea net.

De Bruyne (center) made a difference in Man City's counter-attack. Photo: Reuters.

Man City's counter-attacking style is made more dangerous by a player with such great vision as De Bruyne. The Belgian star brought his performance against PSG back to the Premier League to take revenge on his former team, who had forced him to leave for Wolfsburg two years ago. If David Silva possesses technique and the ability to create, De Bruyne is even more dangerous thanks to his speed and finishing like a striker. De Bruyne is currently untouchable for the attacking midfielder position at Man City.

Chelsea welcomed back Diego Costa but the Spanish striker was out of favour with Mangala and Otamendi. Pedro and Willian’s individual efforts were ineffective in the second half, while Chelsea’s youngsters were not up to the task of playing in a game of this magnitude. Courtois’ red card at the end of the match only added to Chelsea’s defeat.

According to VNE