Manchester City's nervous finish in an otherwise comfortable win at Watford showed "you can never relax in the Premier League", according to manager Pep Guardiola.

[KoLiKoV]

The reigning champions had controlled Tuesday's game and led through goals from Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez but Abdoulaye Doucoure scrambled in for Watford in the 85th minute to give the hosts hope of an unlikely comeback.

Watford sent goalkeeper Ben Foster forward for set-pieces in a frantic finish, with Guardiola introducing defensive reinforcements to deal with the pressure, but the visitors held on for their seventh successive league win.

The win saw City re-establish their five-point lead at the top of the table, which could be cut to two when Liverpool play Burnley on Wednesday.

"We were much the better side - we deserved to win but you have to kill," Guardiola said.

"It is never over at 2-0, you need the third goal.

"In the last few minutes they had chances. For five minutes they were better than us.

"You can never relax in the Premier League, that's why it is nice."

Squad depth helps City rumble on
The trip to Vicarage Road was City's second of 13 matches in 44 days and Guardiola once again rotated his squad, as he did in the weekend win over Bournemouth.

Sergio Aguero remained sidelined with injury, top scorer Raheem Sterling was rested and an entirely different back four was brought in, including captain Vincent Kompany and England defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones.

Mahrez and David Silva were two of those rested at the weekend and both returned and were influential throughout.

Mahrez's in-swinging cross from the left was bundled in by Sane with his chest in the 40th minute and then the Algerian swept in Gabriel Jesus' cross at the back post six minutes after half-time for City's second.

The league leaders would have added more goals but for the excellence of Foster, who denied Mahrez and Sane when one-on-one in the first half.

He also produced a fine low save to stop Mahrez's 20-yard shot in the second.

The edgy finish to the game was in stark contrast to the rest of the match when City looked in control, with more than 70% of possession.

The Watford goal came just two minutes after Kompany left the field holding his hamstring, something which will be of concern with the number of games to come in the coming weeks, and suddenly City's defence looked flustered.

Regardless City held on for their 13th win from 15 games this season and remain unbeaten.

City's unbeaten run goes on - the best stats
Man City's goal difference of +38 is the best recorded by an English top-flight team after the first 15 games of a season since Sunderland in 1892-93 (+39).
City have scored at least twice in their last nine games against Watford in all competitions, winning all nine by an aggregate score of 29-5.
Watford have lost three in a row in the Premier League for the first time since December 2017 under Marco Silva (four games).
City have now gone unbeaten in each of their last 21 games in the Premier League (W18, D3) since a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in April.
Riyad Mahrez has scored more Premier League goals versus Watford than against any other team (six).
Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure scored his first Premier League goal in 30 appearances since netting versus Southampton in January.
What's next?
City face third-placed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (kick-off 17:30 GMT) while Watford travel to Everton on Monday (20:00).