Premier League leaders Manchester City eventually overpowered a Crystal Palace side who became the first team in English Football League history to start a season with six defeats and no goals.
City were only top alphabetically before kick-off, but now lead neighbours Manchester United on goal difference after continuing a prolific start to the new campaign that has seen them score 22 goals in their past five matches.
They had to wait until the very end of the first half to find a way past an initially well-drilled Palace side, but the Eagles lost shape and belief after the break as City ran riot.
Leroy Sane broke the deadlock with a stylish goal that saw him gallop into the area and lift David Silva’s pass over the head of the hapless Scott Dann before prodding home.
At that stage Palace still had hope, but that evaporated at the beginning of the second half thanks to two Raheem Sterling goals in the space of eight minutes.
Sterling made it 2-0 when he met a peach of a cross from Sane and then ended the game as a contest when he fired home Aguero’s pull-back from close range.
Aguero, needing three goals to pass Eric Brook and become City’s record scorer, joined the party with 11 minutes to go when he nodded home another Sane delivery.
Substitute Fabian Delph completed the rout to punish Palace further with a fierce strike into the top corner before the end.
They ended up on the wrong end of a heavy defeat but you could argue Palace did far better than expected in the first half at the Etihad.
Defending in numbers but breaking forward with pace, they almost ended their wait for a league goal this season when Ruben Loftus-Cheek saw his shot deflected on to a post.
Palace’s counter-attack raids gave City something to think about with the score at 0-0 but that plan went out of the window when Sane scored just before the break.
Hodgson’s sides are known for their organisation and determination but they were run ragged in the second half and showed few signs they would end their goal drought.
With games against Manchester United and Chelsea to come, Hodgson has his work cut out to improve his side at both ends of the pitch – and quickly.
Raheem Sterling has scored five goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had scored in his previous 31
It is now 630 minutes – or seven full games – since Crystal Palace last scored a Premier League goal, on 14 May.
In that time, City have scored 29 league goals in eight matches, and show no sign of stopping – whoever is in their line-up.
Gabriel Jesus, who has linked so effectively with Aguero up front this season, was an unused substitute on Saturday.
The Brazilian was not needed, and Bernardo Silva only came on for the last half-hour, as Sane staked his claim for a regular starting place and Sterling continued his fine form.
With David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne pulling the strings, Guardiola must be wondering who is in his strongest team because at the moment City score goals whoever is playing.
The only sour note of Guardiola’s day was an injury which forced Benjamin Mendy off before the break and he believes it could be knee ligament damage.
“Without Mendy, we cannot attack fluently with our full-back down the left,” said Guardiola.