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LONDON. — Manuel Pellegrini has turned into a joker to have the last laugh on his English Premiership soccer title rivals. The Manchester City boss is not known for his sense of humour and no one should be surprised when his nickname is “The Engineer”. So it must be a sign of the times when the man from Chile with the cold stare is making jokes at his own expense.

What a difference six months can make. In April the fool was Pellegrini, who struggled to break into a smile — let alone crack a gag to lift the gloom around the Etihad. Most people thought he was heading for the sack as his superstar flops failed to win a single trophy.

But no credible replacement was available, so he was handed a stay of execution and Pellegrini has made the most of his second chance. When asked if he was in a good mood following City’s routine 2-0 home win over Watford which set a historic 10th straight league victory, Pellegrini quipped: “For a dead man walking, eh?”

Pellegrini, who posed for selfies with fans before jetting-off for a short holiday during the international break, has several reasons to be cheerful. His side are unbeaten following four straight wins this term, have not conceded a single goal, have an eight point lead over champions Chelsea at the top of the table and have just spent another £56m on Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

Second half goals from Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho clipped the Hornets’ wings as Pellegrini’s men continued to set the standards the others have to follow. City have discovered their killer instinct again and leading lights like David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure have shone bright right from the start. — The Daily Star.