Forget Fergie Time! Manchester City are heading for the Premier League title on Pep Time with four winners in the last 10 minutes already this season

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When David Silva dangled out a leg to force Kevin De Bruyne's cross beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian on Sunday, Manchester City had found their fourth late winner of the season.

It broke the Hammers' stubborn resistance at the Etihad Stadium after they had taken a shock first-half lead through Angelo Ogbonna.

It may also have broken the spirit of all other 19 Premier League clubs as they hoped in vain for the leaders to drop points.

David Silva celebrates after scoring another late winner for Manchester City on Sunday

Silva dangled his leg out to divert Kevin De Bruyne's cross beyond West Ham's Adrian

As it was, the gap between Pep Guardiola's side and second-placed Manchester United remained at eight points ahead of next weekend's Old Trafford derby.

City have been a ruthless attacking juggernaut in the opening few months of the 2017-18 campaign, but in the last week they have relied on huge reserves of steel.

Three times in seven days City scored a winning goal after the 80th minute to keep their hopes of a first league title in four years well and truly on track.

Raheem Sterling popped up with an 84th-minute winner at Huddersfield last weekend, then repeated the trick six minutes into stoppage time to break Southampton hearts in midweek.

On Sunday it was Spanish playmaker Silva who came to the party to register their 13th consecutive Premier League victory.

They say it is the hallmark of champions, and it was certainly a factor in Manchester United's dominance of the division under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Spaniard is mobbed by team-mates after scoring City's fourth late winner this season

A late United winner felt nearly inevitable as they chased an important goal under the Scot, so much so that it was christened Fergie Time.

In the 13 seasons United lifted the title, they scored a staggering 39 winners in Fergie Time, from the infamous Steve Bruce header against Sheffield Wednesday in April 1993 to Rio Ferdinand's 87th-minute strike against Swansea 20 years later.

Guardiola will have to go some way to match that record, but City are already threatening to forge Pep Time after just 15 games of this season.

From Sterling's stoppage-time winner over Bournemouth in August to Silva's 83rd-minute intervention on Sunday, four times City have earned all three points in the late stages.

They need only two more in the final 23 games this year to equal United's record of six in 2008-09 and 2012-13.

Raheem Sterling finds a way past Southampton in the sixth minute of injury-time last week

Pep Guardiola jumped for joy after City's 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium last Wednesday

It continues a theme that has developed for City since Manuel Pellegrini's final season at the club in 2015-16.

In the last three years they have found a late winner 11 times - three more than their nearest challengers Chelsea and Arsenal.

Perhaps surprisingly, it is Bournemouth who come next with seven, level with Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. 

This season Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Southampton and Watford have all scored two winners after the 80th minute, but it is City who lead the way with four. 

Last year Chelsea scored five winnings goals in the final 10 minutes, including Michy Batshuayi's title-clincher at West Brom in May.

Sterling found an 84th-minute winner for City against Huddersfield last weekend

Sterling began City's late show back in August with a 97th-minute winner at Bournemouth