It´s so close – Silva still wary of Liverpool and Chelsea despite Man City going top

Bernardo Silva is still wary of the threat posed by Liverpool and Chelsea despite Manchester City moving to the top of the Premier League following a 3-1 win over Watford. 

Chelsea had been at the summit but suffered a 3-2 defeat to West Ham and allowed Liverpool and City to leapfrog them. 

Just two points now separate the trio, and Silva is not getting carried away despite a dominant performance in which the champions enjoyed 77.1 per cent of the ball and took 26 shots, more than they have attempted in any top-flight game this season, and hit the target with 13. 

“It was definitely a very good job in the first half,” Silva said to Sky Sports. “The team started very well, creating chances and not allowing them to counter-attack. We scored two in the first half but should have scored more. 

“It’s always better to be top of the league than second, third or fourth, but it’s still early. It’s so close – Liverpool are just one point behind us, Chelsea are two points behind us. 

“Liverpool and Chelsea are having an amazing season. It’s tough for us to compete with each other. We know the level and standards are very high. We know how tough it is to win the most competitive league in the world. We’re going to try our best, like we always do.” 

5 – Bernardo Silva has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League appearances for Manchester City – as many as in his previous 61 games in the competition. Alive. #WATMCI

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 4, 2021

Silva is enjoying a superb season on an individual level, scoring twice against Watford to take his tally to seven – matching his best return in a Premier League campaign. 

The Portugal midfielder is City’s top scorer in the league – four goals clear of any of his team-mates – so is shouldering much of the goalscoring burden in the absence of an elite central striker in the squad. 

“This season I’ve been scoring a lot and I’ll try to keep it that way,” Silva continued. “What matters is that we’re top of the league now and the team are doing very well at the moment. At the end of the season we want to celebrate some titles. 

“My first four goals this season were all tap-ins. My last few goals have been quite good, but it doesn’t matter – what matters is putting the ball in the back of the net. I’m happy to help the team. 

“We know we don’t have a striker. We have a lot of players who try to get in the box and finish. We try to put numbers in the box. If we arrive in the box, we’re going to score goals. 

“We’re happy with the moment and happy with our form. We have to keep working because this season is going to be very tough.”