Pep Guardiola was pleased to see Manchester City take a step towards their best form with a 4-0 win over Watford ahead of next month's Champions League tie with Real Madrid.
A first-half brace from Raheem Sterling and goals after the break by Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte helped them return to winning ways after losing to Arsenal on Saturday in the FA Cup semi-finals.
The win leaves Watford deep in relegation trouble with one game left of the Premier League season.
Here's what we learnt from a one-sided contest at Vicarage Road.
Raheem Sterling's best season yet
The star of the show yet again, the England forward scored two more to take his tally for the season to 29, and nine goals in eight starts since Project Restart.
When he plays like this he, and City, are unstoppable. He taunts defenders, runs at speed and knows when to pass, creating space for others.
He was somewhat fortunate to find himself in so much space for the first goal, but his finish was calm and deadly accurate. You know when things are going your way when his penalty was saved by Ben Foster but he was first to the rebound and had an easy tap-in.
City for the Champions League
Manchester City have a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid going into the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on August 7. Overcome the champions of Spain at the Etihad, and play like this to the best of their considerable ability and it's difficult to see who could stop them.
Granted, a possible quarter-final against Juventus and semi-final up against Barcelona or Bayern Munich is not exactly a stroll in the park, but free-scoring City will not be afraid of anyone and Pep Guardiola will be desperate to lift the biggest club trophy of them all.
Phil Foden, ready made superstar
The City midfielder only turned 20 two months ago, yet is proving to be a formidable player already. He has made 36 appearances for in all competitions this season, and scored eight goals, his latest coming against hapless Watford. More importantly, he has looked more and more comfortable in a team of superstars as the season has progressed, once again looking a class apart at Vicarage Road.
It's impossible to overestimate the impact of David Silva as City over the last decade, and of course the Spanish genius will be missed when he moves on this summer. But Guardiola will take a great deal of comfort from the fact he has a young Englishman ready to step up and take his place already on the books.
Look out, Liverpool
After another breathtaking performance it's difficult to fathom how City have managed to lose nine Premier League games this season. including at Norwich City, Wolves and Southampton.
Even Pep has been puzzled, by his own admission. But one thing is certain, Liverpool - still an incredible 15 points clear with a game in hand - will not be allowed to run away with the title again next season.
Pep will have City hungry to close that gap. Managers always say there is only one thing harder than winning the title, and that's keeping it. Look out for a almighty tussle between the Premier League heavyweights in 2020-21 - with Chelsea and Manchester United also determined to have a say.
Sacking three managers not the answer for Watford
Watford became the first Premier League team to sack three managers in a season when Nigel Pearson departed on Sunday, but the change of management made little difference.
No blame can be placed on interim boss Hayden Mullins, who had less than 48 hours to prepare to face one of the best sides in Europe, but how can players expect to respond when they don't know who is in charge one week to the next?
City have tormented Watford over the last few seasons - the last three games reads Manchester City 18 Watford 0 - but clearly changing management is not the route to success. Maybe the owners of the club need to rethink their own strategy for next season, which is more than likely going to be in the Championship after relegation at the weekend.
Since the Hornets were promoted to the Premier League in 2015, they've lost all 11 meetings with the Blues. Perhaps relegation will provide at least one relief - not facing City next season.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
GRAN%20TURISMO
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059