Sitting in the executive seats high up at Etihad Stadium, Mario Balotelli began life at liverpool by watching his new team ruthlessly dismantled by the club he left 19 months ago.
Manchester City showed just how difficult it will be to dethrone as English champion by beating one of its predicted title rivals 3-1 on Monday, making it two wins from two tough opening games of the Premier league season.
Stevan Jovetic scored twice and fellow striker Sergio Aguero netted seconds after coming on as a substitute for City, demonstrating that the champions’ strength in depth up front has hardly diminished since selling the combustible Balotelli to AC Milan in January 2013.
In fact, it has probably got even better.
With Balotelli added to the ranks for 16 million pounds ($26.5 million) on Monday, liverpool strengthened the one area of its squad that looked light following the departure of luis Suarez to Barcelona last month. On this evidence, though, the Reds will struggle to close the two-point gap they finished behind City last season.
“These games are games of six points,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. “When you play at home, it is important not to drop points against important teams. liverpool is an important team and will be fighting for the title at the end.”
Jovetic was a forgotten man last season after his big-money move from Fiorentina, his career stalling during a year that was blighted by injury and failure to break into City’sstar-studded attack.
The Montenegro striker starred for City in preseason, though, and with Aguero working his way to full fitness after the World Cup and Alvaro Negredo out injured, Jovetic is taking his chance to make a statement to Pellegrini.
Real win opener 2-0
Barcelona: Cristiano Ronaldo scored from long range to seal Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over the promoted Cordoba on Monday as the European champions made a winning start to the Spanish league.
Karim Benzema headed in the opening goal on the half-hour mark of a first half that Madrid dominated under the direction of new signing Toni Kroos. But Cordoba surged forward in the second half, turning its first game in the topflight in 42 years into an evenly matched contest against the Champions league winners.
Ronaldo shook off an otherwise drab performance with a strike that only few can match when he blasted in a right-foot shot from well outside the area in the 90th. “We begin suffering, but with a win. So that’s fine,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “Cristiano isn’t fully fit, like the rest of the group. But this week of work will help us in that sense.”
Ronaldo and the rest of Madrid were eager to rebound from its 1-0 loss at Atletico Madrid on Friday that cost it the Spanish Super Cup.