A masterclass from Ilkay Gundogan helped Manchester City secure a 3-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The first half was uncomfortable for the visitors before a glorious goal from Gundogan was almost immediately followed by an assist for Erling Haaland, and a delightful free-kick early in the second half was the icing on the cake.
The Everton faithful were in full voice early on as Sean Dyche's side pressed high and created some uncomfortable moments on the counter for City's back line, although they were still giving the visitors nearly 80% of the ball in the first 15 minutes.
It took 27 minutes for the first shot of the game to arrive but it was not a moment to remember as Riyad Mahrez's drive from long range soared high and wide - the kind of chance Everton were clearly happy to give their title-hunting opposition.
Seven minutes later, Mason Holgate spurned the first real opportunity. James Tarkowski headed down from a corner but his fellow defender had to stretch to try and turn the ball goalwards and couldn't control his effort.
Injecting the quality this game needed, Gundogan opened the scoring in the 37th minute. Controlling a cross with his back to goal, the midfielder flicked the ball backwards and beyond Jordan Pickford with a real moment of magic.
Before fans could blink, it was 2-0. Haaland, who had only managed a handful of touches beforehand, headed home a Gundogan cross just seconds later to give City a cushion which their performance perhaps did not merit in the first half.
Another sensational highlight from Gundogan kicked off the second half with a bang. A curling free-kick from the edge of the box fizzed past Jordan Pickford and killed off any hope of an Everton comeback.
Everton did spark into life after the third goal and nearly found a route back into the game after the hour mark when Tarkowski's header hit the bar moments before Yerry Mina headed wide himself.
In truth, any optimism had been extinguished as the travelling City support grew louder and louder, serenading their aspiring champions as they played out the victory.
Everton player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Jordan Pickford - 4/10 - Turned himself into a meme with his effort to keep Haaland out in what turned out to be a tough afternoon.
RB: Nathan Patterson - 4/10 - Didn't enjoy his battle with Foden whatsoever. Lost out to the Englishman and was later targeted when the rest of City's squad figured out his weakness.
CB: Yerry Mina - 5/10 - A great dive to try and get Laporte sent off. Spent the whole game winding Haaland up.
CB: James Tarkowski - 5/10 - Lost Haaland for the second goal, undoing the hard work he had done beforehand.
LB: Mason Holgate - 3/10 - Battered by Mahrez and switched off for Haaland's header.
DM: James Garner - 6/10 - Did plenty of dirty work in midfield to really frustrate City for the majority of the game. An impressive performance in difficult circumstances.
DM: Idrissa Gueye - 6/10 - Sensationally annoying in midfield. Focused on tackling and disrupting City's play and did it very well.
RM: Alex Iwobi - 5/10 - Put himself about but lacked the quality needed against such high-level opposition.
AM: Abdoulaye Doucoure - 6/10 - Great energy and drive to try and get something for Everton in this one.
LM: Dwight McNeil - 6/10 - Everton's most dangerous forward, McNeil also put in a real shift defensively as well.
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 6/10 - An unenviably awful job with so little of the ball but Calvert-Lewin always made an impact when he did get the chance to get involved.
Substitutes
Neal Maupay (46' for Calvert-Lewin) - 4/10 - An anonymous outing which summed up Everton's approach in the second half.
Conor Coady (55' for Holgate) - 5/10 - A welcome sight for Everton fans who feared he had been forgotten. Didn't do a whole lot but was still an upgrade on Holgate.
Amadou Onana (55' for Gueye) - 6/10 - Put in a shift to try and disrupt City's dominance.
Demarai Gray (75' for Garner) - 5/10 - Limited output in a short showing.
Manager
Sean Dyche - 6/10 - Set Everton up well to frustrate City but was undone by two moments of first-half quality, after which he accepted defeat and began resting his starters. In the grand scheme of things, probably the right move.
Man City player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Mis-hit a clearance early on but didn't have a whole lot to do otherwise.
RB: Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Had to make a number of blocks and last-ditch challenges in the first half to ensure City remained on top.
CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Didn't need to be at his best to offer his effortless level of control.
CB: Aymeric Laporte - 7/10 - Pushed forwards into midfield to help overload the middle third of the pitch. Great passing.
LB: Manuel Akanji - 6/10 - Joined Laporte in that advanced role in a weird inverted setup. Not as impactful as the Spaniard but nothing wrong either.
DM: Rodri - 7/10 - A nervy start but soon settled himself down to anchor City's midfield.
DM: Ilkay Gundogan - 9/10 - Two sensational goals and a quality assist from the scary, title-chasing version of Gundogan. A real star.
RM: Riyad Mahrez - 8/10 - Dangerous with the ball at his feet and a delightful cross for Gundogan's opening goal.
AM: Julian Alvarez - 5/10 - A noticeable level below those around him. Struggled to link midfield and attack.
LM: Phil Foden - 7/10 - A real menace up against Patterson. Looked a constant threat.
ST: Erling Haaland - 7/10 - Another of those games in which Haaland barely did anything apart from celebrate a goal. Ruthlessly efficient.
Substitutes
Bernardo Silva (77' for Gundogan) - 6/10 - Didn't really get involved but didn't need to anyway.
Jack Grealish (77' for Haaland) - 6/10 - A cameo which was more about keeping his legs warm.
Kalvin Phillips (87' for Rodri) - N/A
Sergio Gomez (90' for Dias) - N/A
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 6/10 - City struggled early on but were willed ahead through individual quality. Guardiola did make a handful of tweaks to keep City in front but, surprisingly, didn't make the most of the chance to rest his heavy hitters.
Player of the match - Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
This article was originally published on 90min as Everton 0-3 Man City: Player ratings as glorious Gundogan pushes Citizens closer to title.