Sterling and Bony come out of the shadows to pick up Aguero slack

Manchester City 5 Bournemouth 1: For Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Bony, 2015 has been a far from straightforward year. It would be very good news indeed for Manchester City if both men are ready to put a turbulent few months behind them.

In the absence of injury-prone top-scorer Sergio Aguero, who faces a month out with a torn hamstring, City manager Manuel Pellegrini needs reliable goalscorers elsewhere. Sterling and Bony have not always given the impression that they could fill that gap. On Saturday, though, they came good for the Premier League leaders.

Against Bournemouth, Sterling scored his first career hat-trick, giving something of an answer to the critics who suggest he lacks ruthlessness in front of goal. It is true that the England international could have had two more goals with more clinical finishing, but this was a start, at least.