Manchester City 7-2 Stoke City: Gabriel Jesus brace sets the tone as Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane also strike in nine-goal Etihad thriller

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Manchester City may end up in a close title race with Manchester United but their methods could not be more different.

As Jose Mourinho's side were stifling Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield, Pep Guardiola let the handbrake off and destroyed Stoke with a brand of football not seen since he was in charge of Barcelona.

The goals were shared around between Gabriel Jesus (2), Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva but the name chanted loudest by supporters was Kevin De Bruyne — who had a hand in four of them. 

New boy Bernardo Silva puts the cherry on the cake and scores Manchester City's seventh goal in the demolition of Stoke

The Portuguese ace is congratulated by the City supporters and team-mate Raheem Sterling after coming up with the goods

Leroy Sane had recently put City even further ahead, adding to Stoke's misery with a low, driven effort into the bottom corner

The Germany international peeled away with his arms outstretched to celebrate his goal with the home supporters

Sane points back across to his onrushing team-mates who quickly join him to celebrate his goal

Fernandinho lashes a sublime effort from long distance which appears destined for the back of the net as soon as it's struck

The ball bends past helpless Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland and sends the Etihad into scenes of euphoria

MATCH FACTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE 

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6; Walker 5.5, Stones 6.5, Otamendi 6, Delph 6; De Bruyne 9 (Gundogan 66 6.5), Fernandinho 8 (Toure 73 7), D Silva 8 ; Sterling 8, Jesus 7.5 (B Silva 63 7), Sane 8.5

SUBS UNUSED: Bravo (GK), Danilo, Mangala, Aguero

GOALS: Jesus 17, 55 Sterling 20, Silva 40, Fernandinho 60, Sane 62, Bernardo Silva 78

STOKE (4-3-3): Butland 6; Edwards 5.5 (Shobhi 53 5.5), Zouma 5.5, Wimmer 5 (Martins Indi 45 5), Pieters 4.5; Diouf 6, Cameron 5, Fletcher 4.5; Shaqiri 5, Jese 5.5 (Afellay 45 6), Choupo-Moting 5.5

SUBS UNUSED: Grant (Gk), Adam, Crouch, Berahino

GOALS: Diouf 44, 47

SUBS: Berahino, Afellay, Martins Indi, Adam, Crouch, Sobhi, Grant

Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)

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Gabriel Jesus got Man City off the mark in the early stages before the floodgates opened. More stats and maps with Match Zone

 

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Statistically, Guardiola's team are entering new territory. Their 29 goals in eight Premier League games this season is the best start since Everton managed 30 at the start of the 1894-95 season.

Their last three league games at the Etihad have seen them score 17 times. This was their first seven-goal haul since beating Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup in 2014.

'I can't deny that today was the best performance since I arrived here,' said Guardiola. 'We were able to play quickly because we played simple, everyone just wanted one or two passes. Big congratulations to the players because of the win and the way we won. I'm a spectator like everyone. I enjoyed it.'

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has to take some of the blame for their awful showing on his return to a club that sacked him in 2009.

He gave 18-year-old right-back Thomas Edwards his debut against Sane, one of the most in-form players in Europe. And by playing 4-3-3, he isolated his three most advanced players, while City hogged 80 per cent possession and dominated midfield. 

The biggest surprise was that it took the home side 17 minutes to breach England goalkeeper Jack Butland. Like the other goals, it was a picture-perfect move.

De Bruyne's pass picked out Sterling, who had timed his run behind marker Erik Pieters. Sterling showed composure to pull back for Jesus, who tapped in to follow up his two goals for Brazil against Chile on Wednesday.

Moments earlier, Gabriel Jesus had struck his second goal of the game to make certain City's victory at 4-2

 The young Brazilian calmly soaked up the adoration of the masses after scoring yet another goal in the sky blue of City

Mame Diouf causes silence to fall on the Etihad after jumping highest to meet the header which went in off Kyle Walker

David Silva slides low following a passage of build-up play to slot the ball into the bottom corner for Manchester City's third

The playmaker wheeled away in celebration after putting his side further ahead in the Premier League contest

PEP GUARDIOLA HAILS FAST SHOW AS SILVA GOAL IS SIMPLY THE BEST  

City played 'fast and played simple', according to boss Pep Guardiola, with no goal better illustrating those characteristics than their third.

Gabriel Jesus was found in space, slipped a pass to Leroy Sane, who squared to Raheem Sterling at the back post.

The England flier could have scored but instead he audaciously flicked a pass almost behind him for David Silva, who had the easiest of tasks of finding the net.

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After 19 minutes it was 2-0. De Bruyne looked one way and passed the other to Sane on the byline. His cutback was slotted in by Sterling — his seventh goal already this season having managed just 10 in the whole of the last campaign.

Manchester was revelling in the kind of performance Guardiola was brought in to deliver and the next goal was as good as it gets.

Jesus fed Sane, whose low cross went across the width of the 18-yard box to Sterling. His lay-off found David Silva arriving in the box and the Spaniard was able to take a touch at full stretch before firing in the third. 

Silva is mobbed by fellow goalscorer Raheem Sterling after his effort gave City further room to breathe in the tie

Diouf lashed an effort home to pull one back for the hosts and send Stoke into half-time with hope at 3-1

Goalkeeper Ederson could only watch on as the ball was deflected up and over him and into the back of the City net

Dejection is etched across the face of the City stopper as Diouf begins to celebrate his lifeline goal in the background

Sterling had added City's second in the match moments early with a well-placed, close-range effort

The winger raced away with a smile on his face after adding further to his goal haul for City this season

You have rarely seen a collection of more bedraggled players than Stoke's set of red-and-white stripes and, in the circumstances, you had to admire the visitors for hitting back with a couple of unexpected strikes of their own.

Approaching half-time, Mame Biram Diouf played a one-two with Jese and fired in past goalkeeper Ederson via a deflection off Fabian Delph's outstretched leg.

Hughes made two changes and, incredibly, they had scored a second quickly after the restart. In a neat role reversal, it was Edwards who got the better of Sane by the touchline and his cross into the box was met with a miscued header from Diouf, the ball bouncing off Kyle Walker's chest and in.

It was tragic for Edwards that, in the very next attack, he had to be carried off on a stretcher after being caught by a sliding tackle from Delph.

But with the scoreline too close for comfort, the incredible De Bruyne moved up the gears. The Belgian powered down the right-hand touchline to cross for Jesus to fire into the roof of the net from close range. 

Brazilian starlet Jesus had struck early on to break the deadlock and give the hosts the first advantage

The youngster performed his trademark phone celebration after getting his side off the mark at the Etihad

City began to threaten from the opening moments as manager Pep Guardiola began to rue missed chances in the early stages

The Spaniard was in visible despair as City failed to go ahead with the early chances in the match

A smiling Sergio Aguero took his place on the bench after returning to the fold following an injured rib in a car accident

His square ball then made its way to Delph, then Fernandinho who shot into the top corner from 25 yards for 5-2. As an encore, De Bruyne played the pass of the match, a beautiful arcing ball towards Sane from 30 yards away that invited the German to score.

De Bruyne was given a hero's reception when he departed for Ilkay Gundogan to spare Stoke further punishment.

'Kevin didn't score but he is a guy that is so dynamic,' said Guardiola. 'He understands the game, to be aggressive with the ball and to play a pass with the right tempo and pace.

'When he is in the dangerous areas, the strikers and wingers move because they know he can deliver the ball. He is a big talented player.'

Even without De Bruyne, City added a seventh, Sterling forcing the ball into Bernardo Silva's path, the substitute controlling instantly, then insolently flicking the ball past the overworked Butland.

Afterwards, Guardiola insisted: 'I am not here for entertainment. I am here to win.'

The difference between him and Mourinho is that he believes entertaining football can be winning football. It is going to be a fascinating battle between them.