Sterling positioned City ahead inside the first 1/2 at Carrow Road and Phil Foden doubled the champions' lead early within the second length. England ahead Sterling netted twice greater inside the closing stages to complete his 7th career treble.
Pep Guardiola's side are unbeaten of their closing 15 league games, with 14 wins in that streak retaining them firmly on course to retain the identify. Second-placed Liverpool can close the space to nine points in the event that they win at struggling Burnley on Sunday within the first in their two video games in hand on City. Liverpool show no signs and symptoms of giving up their pursuit, however City have gained 18 in their final 20 suits in all competitions. Guardiola believes his team will want "greater than ninety factors" to keep off Liverpool within the title race. On their modern-day imperious form, achieving that focus on may not be tons of a problem for City.
With a watch on Tuesday's Champions League last sixteen first leg at Sporting Lisbon, Guardiola made five changes from the midweek win over Brentford, with Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo some of the players rested. Bernardo Silva was inches far from giving City the appropriate begin whilst his 6th minute strike hit the put up and bounced returned to Norwich keeper Angus Gunn.
Third backside Norwich had taken seven factors from their past three league video games to enhance their potentialities of staying up. And Dean Smith's aspect spoke back to City's opening salvo with a spell of strain that saw Grant Hanley meet Pierre Lees-Melou's pass with a header that hit the post earlier than Fernandinho scrambled it clear. Sterling tried to place City lower back into the ascendancy, however his low shot from Oleksandr Zinchenko's go lacked the energy to conquer Gunn, who saved along with his out-stretched boot. It was a caution Norwich failed to heed and Sterling placed City beforehand inside the thirty first minute.
Max Aarons made a hash of clearing Kyle Walker's go and Sterling seized possession within the Norwich place, transferring the ball onto his right foot earlier than curling a high-quality strike into the far nook. Sterling's tenth club intention of the season changed into his first because December 26. City had won each of the closing 20 Premier League suits wherein that they had taken the lead and Riyad Mahrez almost doubled their gain with a near-submit shot that Gunn saved alertly.
Norwich's hopes of emulating their surprise win towards City on their final league visit to Norwich in 2019 were erased by way of Foden in the 48th minute. Foden's first attempt from Ilkay Gundogan's pass become blocked by using Gunn, however the England midfielder latched onto the rebound and his shot squeezed over the road earlier than Hanley may want to clean.
City were on cruise control and Sterling underlined their superiority within the 70th minute. Ruben Dias rose maximum to go across the six-yard box and the unmarked Sterling changed into perfectly positioned to nod into the empty internet. Deep into stoppage-time, Hanley's collision with Liam Delap become ruled to be a penalty and, even though Sterling's spot-kick turned into saved by Gunn, he fast recovered to internet the rebound.
