Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne produced a phenomenal display as Manchester City overwhelmed Stoke and opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The 26-year-old provided two assists and produced one of the passes of the season that led to the second goal as Pep Guardiola’s men returned from the international break to treat the home support to a stunning performance.
City scored three times in the first period and had 83.5% of the possession in what was arguably the most one-sided Premier League half this season.
Gabriel Jesus was the first to find the net when he nipped in ahead of Mame Biram Diouf to prod home. De Bruyne then threaded a ‘no-look’ pass into the path of Leroy Sane, who fed Raheem Sterling to slot in.
It was 3-0 by the 27th minute when Spain midfielder David Silva slotted in after more good work from Sterling and Sane.
The only surprise of the first 45 minutes was when Diouf’s deflected shot reduced the deficit.
The home side then received another jolt when the Senegal player’s header came off the leg of Kyle Walker, hit the post and beat Ederson in goal.
Any hopes of a fightback, though, were quashed when Jesus smashed in his second from close range via another beautiful De Bruyne delivery.
Fernandinho then produced the goal of the game when he fired a rocket from 25 yards that whistled past Jack Butland in goal.
Belgian De Bruyne’s magic then allowed Sane to slot in the sixth before substitute Bernardo Silva completed the rout when he converted Sterling’s pass.
And so the eulogies continue for a player who must already be one of the front-runners for the player of the season award.
De Bruyne had been playing in a deeper role in recent matches but against Stoke it looked at one stage that the home side were made up of a team De Bruynes.
He appeared everywhere on the pitch, bar in his own goal. Having been involved in the build-up for the first, the Belgian brought the home support to its feet when his Ronaldinho-esque pass found its way to Sane, who then squared the ball to Sterling for 2-0.
With City rocked back on their heels after Stoke had scored early in the second half to make it 3-2, De Bruyne eased the jitters when he supplied for Jesus to fire in the fourth.
The sublime pass for Sane for 6-2 was even better – slotted through a group of Stoke players to find his man.
De Bruyne told BBC Sport: “We play in a flow at the moment – we are playing well. Not just me.
“It looks wonderful to see the goals – it’s not an individual action.
“I’m very happy because we’re winning the games at the moment. I’m going with the level of the team, which is very high at the moment.”
Man City’s ‘Avengers’ wow without Aguero
Just before the break, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola suggested, inadvertently or otherwise, that title rivals Tottenham were a one-man team because of Harry Kane’s goals this season. He has scored 13 of their 22 goals in all competitions this season.
The equally invaluable Aguero was City’s leading scorer coming into match but on Saturday the league leaders showed they are a team of many superheroes.
Both Sterling and Jesus were dazzling and have now scored seven goals apiece – the same total as the Argentine – while fast-improving Sane, who has played fewer minutes than the trio, has found the net six times.
Their goals have helped Manchester City become the first top-flight team to score 29 times in their first eight league games of the season since Everton in 1894-95
Which team will be able to slow down this juggernaut?
BBC Sports