Manchester City cruised to a comfortable victory in the Premier League, with Rodri and Julian Alvarez finding the back of the net to secure a 2-0 win against Sheffield United.

Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder, Rodri, celebrated with his teammates after scoring the opening goal in their English Premier League match against Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. It was a historic year for Manchester City as they finished with a 2-0 victory over the bottom side Sheffield United, moving them within two points of the top spot in the table.

The dominant passing side of Pep Guardiola took the lead in the 14th minute when Rodri prodded the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the visiting area, thanks to a lovely pass from Phil Foden. Foden was again involved in the second goal as he raced onto a delightful ball from substitute Oscar Bobb and crossed it for Julian Alvarez to add the second goal in the 61st minute.

This victory ended Manchester City’s three-match winless run at home in the league, following draws with Liverpool, Tottenham, and Crystal Palace. They also recently won the FIFA World Club Cup final in Saudi Arabia with a 4-0 drubbing of Fluminense. The return of Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to their squad, although unused, was a positive sign for the team after his hamstring problem.

Before the match, Manchester City paraded their Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup trophies. With this win, they are now breathing down the necks of leaders Liverpool and Aston Villa at the halfway stage of the campaign.

Looking ahead, Manchester City will begin their defense of the FA Cup against Championship side Huddersfield at home in the third round next Saturday. Their next Premier League outing will be against Newcastle on January 13.

On the other hand, Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side remains at the bottom of the table with nine points from 20 matches. They will visit League Two Gillingham in the FA Cup before hosting West Ham on January 21.

In terms of player ratings, Manchester City’s Ederson, Walker, Ake, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Silva, Foden, Grealish, and Alvarez all received positive scores. Sheffield United’s Foderingham, Bogle, Baldock, Robinson, Trusty, Thomas, Norwood, Souza, Ben Slimane, Brooks, and Osula also received ratings.

In terms of match stats, Rodri scored the opening goal for Manchester City in the 14th minute, with Foden providing the assist. Wes Foderingham, the goalkeeper for Sheffield United, made a crucial save in the 21st minute to deny Silva’s shot. William Osula had a rare attack for Sheffield United in the 41st minute, but his shot was blocked by Akanji. Foderingham made another crucial stop in the 58th minute, denying Foden before Alvarez scored the second goal for Manchester City in the 61st minute, marking his 50th Premier League appearance.