Aguero 178: 10 of the best goals from Manchester City´s record scorer

Sergio Aguero is Manchester City’s all-time leading goalscorer after beating Eric Brook’s club record that stood unchallenged for 79 years.

The Argentina international’s strike against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday moved him on to 178 in City colours, a landmark he has reached in an impressive 264 games.

Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, the 29-year-old has firmly established himself as a crowd favourite on the back of countless superb displays and one goal in particular.

Aguero has won two Premier League titles and as many EFL Cups during his time at the Etihad Stadium. As he and boss Pep Guardiola eye further honours this season, we look back at 10 of the most memorable moments in his record haul.

Swansea City (H): August 15, 2011

A club-record signing following his reported £38million arrival from Atletico, Aguero announced himself with a stunning substitute cameo in City’s opening game of the 2011-12 campaign. Having slid in at close range to double the advantage granted by Edin Dzeko’s opener, he inventively set up David Silva’s third before saving the best until last. Aguero collected Yaya Toure’s flicked pass 30 yards from goal and arrowed a venomous, dipping long-range strike into the corner. It was love at first sight for the City faithful.

#onthisday in 2011 @aguerosergiokun made his #mcfc debut and did this!  https://t.co/kEcF2jyoH6

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 15, 2016

Norwich City (A): April 14, 2012

Carlos Tevez going AWOL for a significant chunk of Aguero’s debut season in the Premier League meant a forward partnership that promised much was only viewed fleetingly. However, the dynamic Argentine duo belatedly linked up during the closing weeks of campaign, never more effectively than in a 6-1 demolition of Norwich at Carrow Road. Tevez famously swung an imaginary golf club – in reference to his recently curtailed leisure time in Argentina – upon completing his hat-trick but the first of an Aguero double provided the game’s outstanding moment. He latched on to a bouncing return backheel from Tevez, the pair’s livewire movement having perplexed the Canaries defence, to thump into the top corner from the edge of the box.

SIX goals #onthisday away against @NorwichCityFC including stunners from Carlos Tevez and @aguerosergiokun ! #mcfc pic.twitter.com/BvT6aXHUN0

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 14, 2017

QPR (H): May 13, 2012

An unforgettable moment replayed countless times, both era defining for the league and career defining for its central figure, it is easy to forget what a technically brilliant piece of centre-forward play Aguero’s heroic intervention during the dying seconds of the season against QPR was. As the seeming formality of Premier League title glory slipped ever closer to the clutches of rivals Manchester United, the Argentine mimicked many of his country’s great attackers by dropping into midfield. Taking possession from Nigel de Jong, an alert Aguero picked out Mario Balotelli with his back to goal. As with much before and after the eccentric Italian’s time at the Etihad Stadium, what followed was not simple, but Balotelli managed to complete a return pass while on his backside. Aguero touched the ball into space beyond Taye Taiwo’s lunging challenge, keeping his balance as the QPR defender clipped him. “I hit the ball as hard as I could and hoped for the best,” Aguero recalled. Cue bedlam.

The voices of that very special moment in City history!

93:20 | The Media https://t.co/r1G1iEBOIp #city9320 pic.twitter.com/mCIEv09gZ7

— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 4, 2017

Liverpool (H): February 3, 2013

City’s title defence the following season stuttered as their talisman grappled with fitness niggles but he was at his awe-inspiring best to snatch a draw against Liverpool. Five minutes after a trademark long-ranger from Steven Gerrard put the Reds 2-1 ahead, Aguero scampered after Gareth Barry’s raking ball into the right channel and found visiting goalkeeper Pepe Reina hurtling off his line. The City man got there first and hooked home from an improbable angle out on the wing.

Manchester United (A): April 8, 2013

United were on the verge of regaining the title from their neighbours by the time City arrived at Old Trafford for the season’s second derby, but Aguero served up a reminder of the misery his final-day exploits inflicted upon them 11 months earlier. There were parallels with that famous strike as he stole in front of Danny Welbeck to receive a pass from Toure and embarked upon driving diagonal run towards the right-hand corner of the United six-yard box. Phil Jones launched a despairing lunge as his adversary superbly dug out a finish into the roof of the net.

Individual brilliance from @aguerosergiokun meant City came away from Old Trafford with the #manchesterderby spoils!   #onthisday pic.twitter.com/iHTAiM3GVA

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 8, 2017

Manchester United (H): September 22, 2013

Aguero set the tone for a rampant City derby display and a season of contrasting fortunes for the Manchester clubs, who were each under new management in the form of Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes. Samir Nasri’s backheel found Aleksandar Kolarov and the overlapping left-back fizzed over a fierce cross that Aguero contorted himself brilliantly to convert with a left-footed volley. He claimed a second in a 4-1 win and City would finish the campaign as champions, with United in seventh and Moyes out of a job.

City dished-out a derby day battering four years ago… #onthisday #mancity pic.twitter.com/d1pxDcfLUS

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 22, 2017

Bayern Munich (H): November 25, 2014

An arguable blot on Aguero’s City career is a lack of decisive performances against European heavyweights, with the club generally flattering to deceive in Europe. But he almost single-handedly saw off Bayern and his future manager on a night when Pellegrini’s side stared group-stage elimination in the face. Aguero won and converted the first-half penalty that saw Medhi Benatia sent off, but Guardiola’s Bayern were masterful with reduced numbers and led at the break through Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski. The away side were comfortable until Aguero seized upon a rare error from Alonso to level in the 85th minute and his menacing presence panicked the Bayern defence into a collapse. After picking Jerome Boateng’s pocket, Aguero steadied himself to slot home and play the injury-time hero once more, crowning a remarkable individual display.

#onthisday last year, @aguerosergiokun had a @ChampionsLeague night to remember against @FCBayern ! #mcfc pic.twitter.com/eK7IygP09n

— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 25, 2015

Newcastle United (H): October 3, 2015

The Buenos Aires native’s insatiable appetite for goals has never been more clinically demonstrated than when he put an overmatched Newcastle to the sword. City won 6-1 and Aguero scored five of them, all in the space of 20 minutes. Half-time did at least give Steve McClaren’s men respite after their tormentor cancelled out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s opener, but a brutal evisceration followed. Aguero’s third was his best, when he applied a delicate dinked finish on the end of an irresistible passing triangle featuring Silva, Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne.

#OnThisDay last year @aguerosergiokun scored FIVE against Newcastle. @DeBruyneKev ‘s wasn’t bad either! pic.twitter.com/js1koQmko5

— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 3, 2016

Burnley (H): January 2, 2017

Aguero was due to spend the opening fixture of this year recuperating on the bench but Fernandinho’s rash lunge on Johann Gudmundsson forced a re-think from Guardiola, who sent on his leading marksman at the break despite the hosts being reduced to 10 men. Gael Clichy gave City a 58th-minute lead and the Blues sprung forward again four minutes later, only for Raheem Sterling to go down under a challenge from Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton. Aguero was alive to the slim possibilities and got to the ball ahead of a sprawling Heaton, but the angle was very much against him. Nevertheless, he unleashed a powerful strike that clipped the near post and faintly brushed Matthew Lowton on its way into the net. Lowton and fellow Clarets defender Michael Keane were left to look at one another in perplexed fashion on the line.

81. JOY! The lads celebrate @aguerosergiokun ‘s stunner! #mcfc

City 2-1 Burnley pic.twitter.com/ZvAYqYN04L

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 2, 2017

Watford (A): September 16, 2017

A sixth Premier League hat-trick brought Aguero to within touching distance of Brook’s record and he claimed the matchball in style with the fifth goal in a 6-0 demolition of a Watford side previously unbeaten in the top flight under Marco Silva. Having scored twice and laid on City’s third for Gabriel Jesus before half-time, Aguero was confronted with a bedraggled defence during the closing stages and skipped past a succession of challenges before slotting in via the base of the post.

WHAT. A. GOAL!

Relive @aguerosergiokun ‘s superb hat-trick goal from every angle… 

: https://t.co/R2CR4kMyPk #watfordvcity #mancity pic.twitter.com/NniHAKbyc1

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 17, 2017