Manchester City all but guarantee Champions League for next season in Pablo Zabaleta's farewell game

Manchester City 3 West Bromwich Albion 1: City comfortably beat West Brom in their final home game of the season, with the crowd paying tribute to cult hero Zabaleta

Zabaleta played his last home game for the club, having joined in 2008 (Getty)

It was nothing less than a celebration; a collective service of thanksgiving for Pablo Zabaleta, against a West Bromwich Albion side whose utterly feeble contribution encapsulated what Arsene Wenger had been talking about on Monday when he railed against the ‘morals’ of those sides who ease off when their safety is secured.

Pep Guardiola placed a kiss on Zabaleta’s left ear when he sent him onto the field, though the Catalan’s distinct lack of sentiment until then told you how desperately much the points still mattered for Manchester City. Fernandinho was preferred at right back and the 32-year-old departing legend kept out of the game until the 61st minute, by which time the muffled demands for his presence were booming around the stadium.

The precautions were as unnecessary as the manager’s animated briefing for his players as they ran out for the second period. It was a procession: a reminder of how City might have given Chelsea and Tottenham some company at the top, had Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne had only operated at this tilt all along.

The nearest Albion came to aggression was manager Tony Pulis’ frank exchange of views with his opposite number on the touchline. That will give Wenger, the man chasing City’s coat-tails cause to curse, given City’s vulnerability to the aerial challenge that his players can bring. For City, the vast 15-point distance behind Chelsea could be put out of mind.

Argentinian flags were out for the serenading of Zabaleta on the last night of his nine memorable years at this stadium. The corazon de leon (‘heart of a lion’) banner made for him five years ago was held up in the defender’s presence for a last time and his arrival from the bench was the night’s most anticipated event. “A man bloodied and relentless in his pursuit of success,” is how City chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak chose to put it in the match programme.

Guardiola sends Zabaleta onto the pitch with a good luck kiss (Getty)

That’s not always been an accurate description of City’s performances on their own ground under Pep Guardiola in the past nine months and there was certainly work to do for a side looking to clinch the division’s third spot - so evading the tension of a Champions League play-off three months from now.

On paper, there were more agreeable prospects than Tony Pulis’ side arriving in town, given the 82-minute struggle it had been for Chelsea to break through their ranks last Friday night. But the visitors’ put in a performance which made a mockery of their lofty eighth position in the Premier League.

Gabriel Jesus gave City the lead (Getty)

Albion found Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne an irresistible combination and struggled to muster any means of repelling them. The game was effectively over in the one minute and 46 seconds it took City to score two goals just before the half mark.

Yaya Toure initiated the first of them, guiding the ball forward in the inside left channel for Aguero, whose exquisite flick back through the defender’s legs sent de Bruyne powering into left hand channel and crossing for Gabriel Jesus tap in his sixth goal in seven starts.

De Bruyne got on the score sheet (Getty)

Aguero, Silva, Jesus interlinked again to create the space for de Bruyne to strike home a second, left-footed on the half volley. There was City profligacy amid the goals. Leroy Sane conspired to crash wide of Ben Foster’s right post after Craig Dawson’s had allowed Aguero to pounce and locate the

German in the penalty area. But the miss was inconsequential. The game was 45 minutes before Pulis’ players even located Willy Caballero, through a tame shot from Slomon Rondon.

Toure's goal added some extra gloss on the night (Getty)

Toure put a gloss on the night three minutes before the hour mark, giving and taking back a ball from Aguero and easing towards the six-yard box to place the ball beyond Foster. That was the moment when Guardiola felt able to introduce Zabaleta, pushing Fernandinho into midfield to make way. A series of ceremonies ensued: Vincent Kompany handing the Argentine the armband after he departed and Zabaleta then being given the man of the match award for his minor contribution.

Pulis’ players managed to spoil the impression four minutes from time, seizing on two City failures to seize possession in front of the own box and releasing Allan Nyom to cross for substitute Hal Robson-Kanu to step up in front of John Stones to score. For Guardiola, it was a reminder of the frailties seen here so often this season and of the work to be done when this season’s dying embers are finally extinguished.