Sergio Aguero bagged a hat-trick as Manchester City ripped Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea apart.
Raheem Sterling scored twice while Ilkay Gundogan helped finish off an abject Chelsea side who were second-best from the first whistle.
Sportsmail's JACK GAUGHAN was at the Etihad Stadium to pass judgement on the players involved.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3)
Ederson - 7
Busier than the scoreline suggests and made a few fine stops. Ably swept up when required.
Kyle Walker - 7
Eden Hazard barely caused the right back any problems as he continues to recapture his form.
John Stones - 8
Distribution out from the back was almost flawless and dropped to cover in behind intelligently.
Aymeric Laporte - 8
Another imperious display by Laporte, who never appears fazed by occasions in his first full season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7
Had his panicked moments, as usual, but offered City a fair bit of energy from left back.
Ilkay Gundogan - 8
Knitted City together nicely in midfield, lovely whip to his goal and generally another fine afternoon.
Fernandinho - 8
All-action, yet again. Covered every blade of grass, snuffed out any danger and played at his own pace.
Kevin De Bruyne - 9
Bossed midfield and put his stamp on proceedings. Drifted into unusual pockets that Chelsea could not deal with.
Raheem Sterling - 9
Devilish down the left, sending Cesar Azpilicueta this way and that. Finished with a double – two tidy finishes – and won a penalty.
Bernardo Silva - 8.5
Keeps getting better and better. So much energy and ingenuity. Silva has become their main man recently
Sergio Aguero - 9.5
Potential miss of the season and still left with a hat-trick, his 11th in the Premier League. Aguero is a phenomenon.
SUBS:
Gabriel Jesus (for Aguero, 65) - 6.5
Riyad Mahrez (for De Bruyne, 68) - 6
David Silva (for Fernandinho, 75) -
Subs not used: Danilo, Leroy Sane, Nicolas Otamendi, Arijanet Muric
Manager: Pep Guardiola - 8
City are a reflection on him and this must have made scary viewing for their title rivals.
CHELSEA (4-3-3)
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5
Hard not to feel sorry for the 24-year-old, who was badly let down by those directly in front of him.
Cesar Azpilicueta 4.5
Sterling had Aspilicueta’s number early on and the Spaniard would later hack him down and concede a penalty.
Antonio Rudiger - 5
Fared better than the rest at the back but will still reflect that he might’ve done more in the opening third of the game.
David Luiz - 3.5
Defensively suspect and looked chastened all afternoon. Only seemed up for it when dishing out reducers.
Marcos Alonso - 3
Nonsensical decision to leave his station from a free-kick in the build-up to the opener set the tone.
N'Golo Kante - 4
Completely anonymous. Just isn’t suited to the role in which Maurizio Sarri envisages him starring in.
Ross Barkley - 4
Mindless header back towards his own goal allowed Aguero to net City’s third and summed Chelsea up.
Jorginho 4.5
Chelsea just aren’t getting enough out of Jorginho, certainly given the impact his arrival’s had on Kante.
Pedro - 6
Can look productive at times and did turn City around on their left but his influence was ultimately meaningless.
Eden Hazard - 6
Flitted in and out, clearly frustrated at the state of his team’s defending. Did create bits and bobs, however.
Gonzalo Higuain - 6
Actually looked fairly lively before the break and asked the City back two some questions. Needed more help.
SUBS:
Matteo Kovacic (for Ross Barkley, 52) - 6
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Pedro, 66) - 6
Emerson (for Marcos Alonso, 73) - 5.5
Subs not used: Andreas Christensen, Olivier Giroud, Willian, Willy Caballero
Manager: Maurizio Sarri - 4
Players look lost and did so at Bournemouth too. That is almost solely down to the management.
Referee: Mike Dean - 7
Resisted the urge to dish cards out early and that allowed the match to flow nicely. Bits of showbiz theatrics too.