EPL: Manchester City 5-0 Crystal Palace

Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates scoring his sides third goal

Manchester City move top of the Premier League on goal difference after thrashing bottom club Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s men, who were only ahead of rivals Manchester United on alphabetical order ahead of kick-off, struggled to find an opening until Leroy sane scored a minute before the break.

That opened the floodgates and City added four more goals in the second half with Raheem Sterling grabbing a brace, Sergio Aguero on target and substitute Fabian Delph scoring in the final minute.

With United winning 1-0 at Southampton, City are ahead of them on goals scored, while Roy Hodgson’s Palace remain bottom on zero points and have still not scored in six league games this season.

Mamadou Sakho almost marked his first Premier League start for Palace since rejoining on a permanent deal from Liverpool on transfer deadline day by scoring an own goal in the opening exchanges when he diverted Kevin De Bruyne’s cross off the post.

City continued to dominate and Fernandinho had a decent opportunity in the area on 13 minutes but fired his effort straight at Wayne Hennessey, before Sterling was denied moments later.

Palace went close to going ahead on 19 minutes when Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s effort took a slight deflection and hit City’s upright with Ederson beaten.

Loftus-Cheek then spurned a great chance on 28 minutes when the ball fell invitingly to him in the area but he fired wide with just Ederson to beat.

Aguero’s first chance came around the half-hour mark when he was teed up by Sane but the Argentinian wasted it as he fired over the top.

City finally took the lead on 44 minutes when Sane played a free-kick to David Silva and then collected the return pass inside the area before stabbing the ball into the net at the near post.

Sterling doubled City’s lead on 51 minutes when he converted a Sane pass from the left.

And it was 3-0 eight minutes later when De Bruyne picked out Aguero in the area and he teed up Sterling to score his second from close range.

City continued to press for more goals and Aguero got in on the act in the 82nd minute when he headed in his sixth in four games from Sane’s cross.

And Delph rounded off the rout on 89 minutes when firing in off the underside of the crossbar from 20 yards.