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

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

Kevin De Bruyne played a part in five goals as Pep Guardiola’s side put on a sensational display to move clear at the top of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola was in visible despair as City failed to go ahead with the early chances in the match

Press Association report continues:

While the goals were shared around between Gabriel Jesus (2), Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva, it was De Bruyne’s name chanted loudest by the fans who gave him a standing ovation when he was replaced in the second half.

In contrast to the dull goalless draw played by Manchester United at Anfield earlier in the day, City were irrepressible and reminiscent of Guardiola’s Barcelona team at their best.

Stoke, who fielded 18-year-old debutant Thomas Edwards, showed courage to fight their way back to 3-2 having fallen 3-0 behind. But that only seemed to annoy the home side who promptly scored four more of their own. They now lead the league by two points.

Manchester City have now scored 17 goals in their last three Premier League games at The Etihad Stadium and are averaging more than three goals in the league this season (29 in eight matches). Carry on and they will smash Chelsea’s record total of 103 in 2010.

Guardiola ignored any potential travel hangovers from the international break, and named his strongest team with Sergio Aguero returning among the substitutes two weeks after his car accident in Amsterdam.

Stoke just about survived for the opening 17 minutes but were then sliced apart after De Bruyne’s pass played in Sterling behind marker Erik Pieters.

Sterling showed composure to pull back for Jesus, who tapped in to follow up his two goals in midweek for his country against Chile.

This too was like watching Brazil. 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 him by Sterling, his seventh goal already this season having managed just ten in the whole of the last campaign.

Manchester was revelling in the kind of performance Guardiola was brought in to deliver and the third 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 Silva arriving in the box and the Spaniard was able to take a touch at full stretch before firing in the third.

You’d rarely seen a collection of more bedraggled players that Stoke’s set of red-and-white stripes and Hughes has to take some blame for putting up rookie Edwards against the rampant Sane, and leaving three up front when his side were being utterly dominated in midfield with less than 20 per cent possession.

In the circumstances, you had to admire the visitors for hitting back with a couple of unexpected strikes of their own.

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

Hughes made two changes at the interval – Bruno Martins Indi and Ibrahim Afellay on for Kevin Wimmer and Jese – and incredibly, they’d scored a second just over 60 seconds after the restart.

In a neat role reversal, it was young 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 close to tears after being caught by a sliding tackle from Delph. He was given sympathetic applause from all sides of the ground as Ramadan Sobhi came on.

With the scoreline too close for comfort, the incredible De Bruyne moved up the gears to make it 4-2.

The Belgian, who covers most blades of grass during an afternoon, popped up alongside the right-hand touchline, powering forward before producing a low arced cross allowed Jesus to fire into the roof of the net from close range.

His square ball then made its way to Delph, and then Fernandinho who shot into the top corner from 25 yards for 5-2 after an hour.

Four minutes later, De Bruyne played the pass of the game, a beautiful curled ball to Sane who finished in style. Two minutes after that, the Belgian was allowed to depart to save Stoke further punishment.

Sane was fractionally wide of adding a seventh goal when his free-kick hit the sidenetting. But it did come after 79 minutes when substitute Bernardo Silva danced his way into the penalty area to take Sterling’s pass in his stride and flick the ball past Jack Butland.

Were you watching, Jose Mourinho?