Manchester City 5-0 Crystal Palace: Raheem Sterling brace fires Pep Guardiola's side to Premier League summit as rock-bottom Eagles crumble

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So to Stamford Bridge and the first testing ground of the new and possibly improved Manchester City. As autumn loomed last year, Pep Guardiola’s glorious football tapestry began to unravel with defeat at Tottenham.

Whether this season’s model is more carefully stitched to withstand the winter, we shall see. Liverpool were meant to assert quality control but were undone when Sadio Mané was sent off. Chelsea will surely give Guardiola’s creation a rigorous examination.

But twenty-two goals in the last five games suggests that City are even more formidable going forward than even before. And when Fabien Delph is hitting glorious, curling strikes into the top corner, you might well conclude that everything is heading in the right direction. City were simply sumptuous in the second half. When Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and man-of-the-match Leroy Sané combine, it puts you in mind of Arsenal’s Invincibles.  

Fabian Delph curls a spectacular effort beyond Wayne Hennessey and into the top corner to score Manchester City's fifth

The goalscorer is hugged by team-mates David Silva and Fernandinho after scoring the pick of the goals on Saturday

Sergio Aguero gets his name on the scoresheet after placing a standing header beyond Wayne Hennessey to make it 4-0

Sergio Aguero celebrates after getting in on the act as Manchester City leapt to the top of the table on goal difference

Sergio Aguero races to congratulate Raheem Sterling after he added his second of the game to put the result in no doubt

Sterling makes sure from close-range after latching onto Sergio Aguero's knock-down from Kevin De Bruyne's crossfield ball

Raheem Sterling embraces team-mate Leroy Sane after the German's precise cross gave him a tap-in at the far post

Sterling points to the heavens after doubling the home side's advantage shortly after the half-time interval

Leroy Sane slides the ball past the onrushing Wayne Hennessey after dinking the ball over Scott Dann's head in the box

The German international celebrates with his arms outstretched after breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE 

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 6; Walker 7, Stones 6.5 (Delph 70, 8) Otamendi 6, Mendy 6 (Danilo 29, 7); D. Silva 8 Fernandinho, 6.5 De Bruyne 8; Sterling, 8 (Bernardo 61, 6.5) Aguero, 8 Sane 8.5 

Subs not used: Bravo, Mangala, Gabriel Jesus, Toure

Booked: Mendy, Danilo, Sane

Goalscorers: Sane 44, Sterling 51, 59, Aguero 79, Delph 89

Crystal Palace (4-4-1-1): Hennessey 8; Fosu-Mensah 5.5, Dann 5.5, Sakho, 6.5 van Aanholt 6; Townsend, 6.5 Milivojevic, 6 Cabaye, 5.5 (Puncheon 57, 7) Schlupp 6; Loftus-Cheek 6.5; Benteke; 6 (Sako 71, 6)

Subs not used: Speroni, Ward, Tomkins, McArthur, Riedewald

Booked: Schlupp 

Referee: Neil Swarbrick 7

Attendance: 53,526

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Leroy Sane scores the opening goal after good work from David Silva. CLICK HERE for more from MATCH ZONE.

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And yet, judgement will be withheld until the back four is under severe pressure. Guardiola acknowledged that his side has weaknesses which a better side than the one bottom of the table with no goals and no points might exploit.

‘It’s too early to say,’ he said of whether his side improved from last season, bemoaning the lack of tempo in the first half which saw him boot his seat in anger at half time and even witnessed a ball boy beckoned over and experiencing a precious one-on-one session from Guardiola on returning the ball quicker.

‘If you analyse 30 minutes in the first half, we were not ready to be there. We started well but after that we forgot that ball should be moved. And the first half the ball was at the players’ feet; it’s not good. There were too many touches. When that happens everything is slow and our rhythm is slow and concede counter attacks and anything can happen. But in the second half we had tempo, patience and attacked quick.

‘It was good to have his 30 minutes, to realise where we still are and that we have a gap to improve. It’s still September. We have less points than a year ago – and you guys all saw how it ended up last year. In games, we have to provoke. We are not a team for one set piece or a counter attack. We have to make quick, quick. And no-one is quicker than the ball. And we have to move it quicker.’  

David Silva gets hold of the ball in midfield as Andros Townsend looks the other way in the early stages on Saturday

Mamadou Sakho chases after his former Liverpool team-mate Raheem Sterling during the clash at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City winger Leroy Sane leaps into the air to avoid the challenge of Crystal Palace defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling races forward with the ball as he is surrounded by three Crystal Palace players

Manchester City's Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne rides the challenge of Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann

Crystal Palace midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek's path forwards is blocked by the sliding challenge of defender John Stones

By the end, it looked bad for Palace. Christian Beneteke limped off with ligament damage. They have Manchester United and Chelsea to play. The worst start ever could get yet deteriorate. It’s quite conceivable that Palace are without a point, maybe even without a goal, when the clocks go back.

And yet for 45minutes, this was performance honed in the image of Roy Hodgson. Indeed, the improvement, even from his first game, was enormous in that first half. In less than two weeks he seemed to have imposed order and tactical balance into this side. That it fell apart quite so badly in the second half is the issue for Hodgson now.

‘It would be ridiculous to talk about positives when you’ve been beaten 5-0,’ said Hodgson. @We wanted to repeat what we had done in the first half, which was to keep them at bay. When it doesn’t happen, you have to be disappointed. We’ve been given a headache and now we have to find the aspirins to ease it. We still have 32 games to play and we’re unlucky to be facing a run of these type of teams. It is a baptism of fire. But we can’t start panicking. Hopefully we’ll see light at the end of the tunnel. I thought I might be seeing that in the first half, but the light went out in the second half.’

To be clear, the first half was still dominated by Manchester City. There was Kevin de Bruyne hitting the post after just seven minutes and Leroy Sané striking just wide from the edge of the box on eleven minutes. And then there was Wayne Hennessey making a point blank save from Fernandinho on 13 minutes.

But there was also the moment when Ruben Loftus-Cheeker wriggled past his marker and struck a shot against the post in 19 minutes. Space abounded in the area around Fernandinho and Loftus Cheek used it well. And if Palace could have played earlier, more accurate balls, Christian Benteke was always lurking, ready to take on john Stones. Loftus-Cheek went close again on 28minutes, dragging a shot wide of the far post after Fernandinho deflected it into his path. City also lost Benjamin Mendy to a knee injury and must hope it is only bruising.  

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho strikes the ball as Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke lies stricken on the ground

Crystal Palace midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek almost gives the away side the lead but his effort strikes the post

Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke looks to dissect the challenges of Manchester City defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy grimaces after he is caught by a hefty challenge from Andros Townsend

The French international is escorted off the pitch by a physio as he makes way for fellow full-back Danilo in the first-half

Manchester City No 1 Ederson clutches the ball tight in his chest as Palace striker Christian Benteke takes evasive action

Christian Benteke was forced off the pitch in the second-half with a knee injury to deepen Crystal Palace's woes on Saturday

Crystal Palace's players slope back to the half-way line after conceding again in a heavy defeat at the Etihad Stadium

But just as the respite of half time loomed, Palace faltered. Sané spun inside and played a ball to David Silva, whose return to Sané was exquisite, lifting it into his path as raced to goal. The German flicked it past Scott Dann and finished clinically with 45minutes on the clock.

From thereon it felt it would be a case of how many City wished to score; and whether Sergio Aguero would have his crack at beating Eric Brook’s all time record, for which he needed a hat-trick. On 52 minutes, De Bruyne found Sané speeding down the wing and so quick was the interchange of passes that he could simply roll it across the face of goal for Sterling to side foot home with barely a hint of protest from Palace.

On the hour, De Bruyne with one pass opened up Palace again, finding Aguero, who squared for Sterling to score his second of the afternoon. He was soon replaced, his work done for the day, with Shaktar Donetsk on the horizon

Aguero would edge closer to that Brook record on 78 minutes, Sané delivering a straightforward cross which the Argentine, given time and space, simply headed in rather routinely. The denouement was provided by Delph, on as a sub and delivering a wonderful, curling strike from the edge of the box.

Now Guardiola was off the seat he had assaulted earlier, applauding excitedly and grinning with sheer pleasure. For now, City are top and seemingly untouchable. So bring on the champions.

Germany coach Joachim Low was in attendance on Saturday to catch a glimpse of Sane ahead of the international break

New Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson embraces his opposite number Pep Guardiola on the touchline ahead of kick-off