Manchester City 4-0 West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City regained hope in the Premier League title race after closing the gap on Manchester United to five points. Carlos Tevez and David Silva added to Sergio Aguero's double as Roberto Mancini's side eased past West Brom to record their first win in three games, while league leaders United were beaten 1-0 at Wigan. The title race seemed as good as over before kick-off but the home side made a bright start to the match with Aguero firing in from 25 yards after just six minutes. City came flying out of the traps but it was an otherwise slow first-half with the only other opportunity falling to Micah Richards who rounded he keeper before his shot seemed to be blocked by the arm of Craig Dawson on its way in. It was a subdued atmosphere inside the Etihad Stadium and this was represented in the performance on the pitch. This changed after 50 minutes however when news of a Wigan goal against Manchester United filtered through and Mancini's side doubled their lead through Aguero's neat finish from close range. The home crowd sensed another turning point in the season and Eastlands was rocking as Samir Nasri almost made it three with a left-footed strike moments later. City didn't have to wait long to extend their lead as Tevez marked his first start since September with a goal, easing Aguero's cross home from six-yards. Silva found the back of the net for the first time in over four months when he delightfully chipped Ben Foster from inside the box to round off a fine evening for the City faithful. Jonas Olsson should have pulled back a consolation goal for West Brom when he headed a corner over from a glorious position, but the Baggies came into the fixture having virtually ensured safety with a win over Blackburn on Saturday and seemed relaxed all evening. The evening's results puts the pressure back on United who suddenly look less comfortable at the top of the Premier League and still have to travel to Eastlands to play Manchester City on April 30.

Manchester City Thrash United at Old Trafford

Manchester City inflicted Manchester United's worst home defeat since February 1955 as they thrashed the champions in ruthless fashion to go five points clear at the top of the Premier League.City were also the victors on that occasion 56 years ago, winning 5-0, but this visit was portrayed as a measure of their progress against the 19-time champions.And Roberto Mancini's men could not have delivered a more emphatic statement as Sir Alex Ferguson's side were humiliated. It was the first time United had conceded six goals at Old Trafford since 1930, when Huddersfield won 6-0 and Newcastle 7-4 within four days of each other.City led just 1-0 at half-time, but the second half was completely one-sided and the eventual margin of victory could have been even more convincing.Mario Balotelli, in the headlines for accidentally setting his house ablaze with fireworks, put City on their way with goals either side of the interval as United struggled to contain the array of attacking talent in front of them.United were reduced to 10 men when Jonny Evans was sent off early in the second half but City's superiority was such that they looked on course for a landmark victory from the moment they took the lead.Sergio Aguero added a third and, even though Darren Fletcher pulled a goal back, this only proved the signal for a late surge by City that brought three more goals and a result that will have sent shockwaves through the Premier League.Substitute Edin Dzeko scrambled in a fourth and the magnificent David Silva ran clear to add another, before the Bosnian striker inflicted the final wound seconds from the end.

Match Report: Manchester City 4 Swansea City 0

Sergio Aguero scored two goals and set up another on his debut to help Manchester City beat newcomer Swansea 4-0 Monday and give the Welsh club a harsh welcome to the Premier League. Goalkeeper Michel Vorm had made a string of good saves to help Swansea withstand nearly an hour of relentless pressure from City before Edin Dzeko finally put the host ahead in the 57th. The striker capitalized on Vorm's first inaccuracy, slotting a rebound into the empty net after the goalkeeper failed control Adam Johnson's shot from the right side of the area. Aguero then came on as a substitute and made it 2-0 in the 67th, meeting Micah Richards' cross at the far post for an easy tap-in. The Argentina striker then set up David Silva for the third just three minutes later, and rounded off the scoring with a long-range strike in injury time.