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Raheem Sterling's hat-trick helped Manchester City secure a routine 4-0 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League at the Carrow Road on Saturday.
The defending champions came into the game with Liverpool hot on their heels and needed a win to restore their nine-point lead at the summit.
Manager Pep Guardiola made wholescale changes to the side that saw off Brentford in mid-week. Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones were among five players handed a rest.
Manchester City made a bright start to the game and had the ball in the back of the net after just four minutes. The goal scored by Phil Foden was, however, disallowed due to offside.
The visitors continued to crank up the pressure and went close through Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Sterling. Norwich also got a rare chance in the 18th minute when Grant Hanley glanced his header off the right post.
Manchester City got the lead their bright start deserved when Sterling opened the scoring in the 31st minute. Kyle Walker's cross into the area was not properly dealt with by the hosts. This allowed the England international to send a right-footed curler in off the post.
The second half was more of the same, with one-way traffic seeing Cityzens ask all the questions in a game they totally dominated.
It took just three minutes after the break for them to double their lead. Foden was on hand to convert the rebound after his initial scuffed shot had been parried into his path by Angus Gunn.
The goal was scrappy and far from the sleekness attached to Manchester City, with goal-line technology needed to confirm the ball had crossed the line.
Sterling completed the rout with two goals in the final 20 minutes. The first of these came on the 70th-minute mark when he headed home Ruben Dias's flick from a corner kick.
The former Liverpool man was given a chance for a hat-trick when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the penalty spot. This came after Aaron Hanley brought down Liam Delap in the area. Sterling saw his initial effort thwarted by Gunn but the 27-year-old converted the rebound to complete his fifth Premier League hat-trick.
The victory took Manchester City nine points clear at the summit of the standings, while Norwich City lost their opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone.
Here is a rundown of how the Manchester City players fared in the game.
Manchester City player ratings against Norwich City
Ederson - 7/10
Ederson did not have much to do in the game as his side dominated proceedings from start to finish. He, however, made two saves to keep his 14th clean sheet of the season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10
The Ukraine international created two chances and ended the game with a pass accuracy of 90.5%.
Nathan Ake - 7.5/10
Ake returned to the starting lineup and did not put a foot wrong in defense. He made three tackles and one clearance, while also creating a chance at the other end.
Ruben Dias - 8/10
The 24-year-old was his usual immense self at the heart of defense and proved his worth at both ends of the field. He provided the assist for Sterling's second goal and was shown the first of two yellow cards issued in the game.
Kyle Walker - 7/10
Walker was more of an offensive threat than his full-back partner Zinchenko and it was his pristine cross in the first half that led to the opening goal.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10
The Germany international created two chances for his teammates and also forced Gunn into a save in the first half. He was also key in the second goal for City as he crossed the ball in towards Foden to eventually put it in.
Fernandinho - 7/10
The 36-year-old made his first Premier League start for Manchester City since December. He did not have much work to do in his role of shielding the defense.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
The 27-year-old created a game-high four chances for his teammates. He also hit the post in the fifth minute before making way for James McAtee in the 73rd minute.
Riyad Mahrez - 7.5/10
Mahrez put the Norwich City defense on the backfoot with his directness and trickery. His effort deserved a goal before he was replaced by Premier League debutant Kaiky in the 83rd minute.
Phil Foden - 8/10
Foden scored Manchester City's second goal and had some good chances to add to his tally which were not taken. His night ended in the 82nd minute when he was replaced by Liam Delap.
Raheem Sterling - 9.5/10
Sterling ended his five-game goal drought with a perfect hat-trick. He was shown a yellow card shortly after scoring his third goal for a rash challenge.
Substitutes:
James McAtee
James McAtee came on with 16 minutes to go and ended the game with a pass accuracy of 66.7%.
Liam Delap - 6/10
Delap came on with eight minutes to go and won the penalty from which Manchester City went four goals ahead.
Kayky - 5.5/10
The 18-year-old Brazilian came on for his Premier League debut with the game already won. He had just three touches of the ball in what was an easy introduction to English football.
