Manchester City thrashed 10-man Liverpool as they sent out an ominous message of intent to their Premier League title rivals.
Liverpool were already trailing to Sergio Aguero’s cool finish when Sadio Mane was sent off eight minutes before half-time for a high challenge on Ederson that left City’s keeper requiring lengthy treatment for facial injuries before he was replaced by Claudio Bravo.
City took ruthless advantage of their numerical advantage, adding a second before the break through Gabriel Jesus’s header, helped by a Liverpool side who folded dramatically in the second half.
Aguero set up Jesus for his second after the break before substitute Leroy Sane added two late goals to give City their biggest win over Liverpool since 1937, sweeping home Benjamin Mendy’s cross at the near post and curling a left-foot finish high beyond keeper Simon Mignolet to complete the rout.
Victory lifts Pep Guardiola’s side top of the table, above rivals Manchester United, who face Stoke away at 17:30 BST, and ensures a first defeat of the season for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Jon Moss’s decision to send off Mane for his high challenge on Ederson after 37 minutes initially divided opinion and was met with the clear disapproval of Klopp and his players.
There was no suggestion Mane intended to cause the injury which led to Ederson requiring eight minutes of treatment to facial and head injuries before being taken off on a stretcher for further examinations.
And Mane could hardly be blamed for going for the ball with such intent – but it was reckless with Ederson bravely rushing out and the rule is clear in support of Moss’s action.
In Fifa’s Laws Of The Game for 2017-18, it is stated: “Serious foul play – a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force of brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play.”
Aguero proved his enduring world-class quality with a smooth finish around Mignolet for Manchester City’s first and his unselfishness when he played in Jesus for the third when he could have scored himself.
And yet the debate continues around whether the 29-year-old Argentine is part of Guardiola’s long-term plan at Etihad Stadium.
Aguero started on the bench for City’s recent win at Bournemouth and Guardiola was keen to conclude a £60m deal for Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez on deadline day.
For all the romantic notions of Guardiola’s purist approach to the game, there must surely be an element of pragmatism that will tell the Catalan he simply cannot do without the man who is still a goalscorer of the highest class, a player who can still make the crucial difference.
Aguero’s first goal for City was his 171st for the club, leaving him only six short of equalling Eric Brook as the club’s greatest scorer. Brook took 453 appearances to reach his 177 between 1928 and 1940 – this game was Aguero’s 257th.
The Argentina striker is also now the top scoring non-European player in Premier League history, with 124 goals, having overtaken Trinidad and Tobago international Dwight Yorke (123).