Manchester City got off to a flier against Napoli at the Etihad with two goals in the opening 15 minutes.

A match that promised an attacking masterclass between two of Europe's top goal-scorers and it looked to be going that way early.

Raheem Sterling blasted home in the fourth minute as the ball pinballed in the goal mouth before a stunning cross from Kevin De Bruyne gifted Gabriel Jesus a tap-in for the second.

Dries Mertens was denied from the spot by City keeper Ederson but he couldn't stop Amadou Diawara's penalty in the second half.

Here are 5 top talking points from Steve Bates.

Raheem Sterling buries the opener (
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Getty Images Europe)
A mighty leap for Sterling's celebration (
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Getty Images Europe)
The England star in on fire for City (
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It's Fab for Delph

When Fabian Delph begins to look like he's played left back all his career you know maybe Pep Guardiola is a magician.

Yorkshireman Delph looked to be on his way out last summer and seemed a world away from the kind of player that Guardiola could re-invent.

But as a stand-in for cruciate knee victim Benjamin Mendy, Delph has been superb, slotting seamlessly into a City team that's sweeping all before them.

Delph's bought into the Spaniard's faith in him - and the result has been as eye-catching as some of City's scorelines.

Fabian Delph's transition to left back has been impressive (
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Action Images via Reuters)

Importance of Fernandinho

The way Manchester City bomb forward someone's got to keep an eye on the back door and Fernandinho is proving a crucial cog in the machine for Pep Guardiola.

The Brazilian knows his limitations so concentrates on making sure on the rare occasions City find themselves on the back foot he's there to shut down the danger.

City's attacking stars grab the all headlines but no-one worked harder for the cause than the South American against Napoli's tricky attackers.

Fernandinho is proving his worth to City (
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Manchester City FC)

Fernandinho wasn't cheap at £34 million when he arrived in 2013 and he'll turn 33 in May.

And even though he gave away the late penalty that made it a nervous finale for City they'll do well to find anyone much better to protect their defence when his time is up at The Etihad.

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Slow-burn Stones on fire

John Stones has been a slow burn in coming to terms with life in the spotlight at Manchester City.

But now the 23-year-old who cost a hefty £50 million when he signed from Everton fourteen months ago is on fire.

His critics claimed he took too many risks and needed to concentrate more on his defending.

But his awareness, positioning and anticipation against Napoli were first class – topped off by a goal-saving block to stop Marek Hamsik scoring second half.

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This is how Kyle Walker gave away the penalty, with a foul on Napoli's Raul Albiol (
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Action Images via Reuters)
Guardiola gives instructions to his star playmaker De Bruyne (
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Getty Images Europe)

Ederson's growing reputation

Manchester City haven't questioned too many of Pep Guardiola's decisions – but his brutal treatment shipping out Joe Hart last season raised a few eyebrows.

There aren't too many doubting his wisdom now with Ederson rapidly becoming a fans favourite at The Etihad.

And the 24-year-old Brazilian didn't do his growing reputation any harm with a first half penalty save from Napoli's Dries Mertens to maintain City's 2-0 early lead.

Ederson is proving the adept sweeper-keeper Guardiola believed Hart could never be and his distribution is first class too.

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Dries Mertens' penalty is denied by Ederson (
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REX/Shutterstock)

Pep Wasn't Wrong on Napoli

Eyebrows raised when Pep Guardiola announce Napoli were one of the top three sides currently in the European game.

And his assessment looked a bit shaky when City powered into 2-0 lead with just 13 minutes gone.

But coach Maurizio Sarri has assembled a top group of stars who showed the character to stand up to City's attacking machine.

And in Lorenzo Insigne, Amadou Diawara, Marek Hamsik and Faouzi Ghoulam Napoli have stars who can make life difficult for City when they meet in Italy in a fortnight.