Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea: 3 takeaways as City thrash the Blues to go top of the table | Premier League 2018-19

Manchester City and Chelsea faced each other in the most anticipated game of the weekend as both teams looked for a win to stay relevant in their aspirations. A win for City would have taken them back to the top of the League table whereas for the Blues it was about getting back into the top four.

Pep Guardiola's side has made a habit lately to score early in the game. They broke the deadlock in the fourth minute as Raheem Sterling pounced on to a weak save by Kepa to put City ahead. It could have been two within a flash but Aguero proved that he is human after all as the Argentine missed a sitter from a couple of yards out.

However, he made up for his miss and scored a delightful long ranger to double City's lead in the 13th minute. Chelsea looked down and out, and a mistake by Berkley handed Aguero his second of the game. Guardiola's side was not done yet as Gundogan made it four leaving Maurizio Sarri frustrated and agitated in the dugout.

Manchester City started the second half with the same aggression as Sterling got fouled inside the box which gave Sergio Aguero the chance to score his hat-trick and the Argentine gladly obliged. The Citizens were relentless with Raheem Sterling making it six for City as they sealed all three points and made a massive statement to Liverpool.

Here are the three takeaways from the game.

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#3 Sensational Sergio Aguero

Aguero scored a brace today.

Sergio Aguero would always be remembered as the man who scored the 93rd-minute winner to clinch the title away from the jaws of their neighbors. The Argentine is City's all-time leading goal scorer and today was another glimpse of his extraordinary goal-scoring prowess.

Aguero got a great chance within the first ten minutes of the game but he missed a sitter, much to the dismay of the manager and the player himself. However, it didn't take long as he scored a fantastic goal from a long-range.

The Argentine got lucky for his second as Barkley's weak back header fell kindly to Sergio who guided it past the hapless Chelsea keeper. He finally got his hat-trick in the second half after Sterling got fouled inside the box which gave Aguero the chance to score from the spot. It was his 11th hat-trick in the Premier League.

#2 Lackadaisical performance from the Blues

Sarri looked despondent.

When Maurizio Sarri replaced Antonio Conte at the start of the campaign, there was hope and expectation of a new brand of football around the Stamford Bridge. The Italian became a hit in the initial days as Chelsea went toe to toe with City and Liverpool for the title.

However, as the season progressed, the Blues lost momentum with the manager criticizing his players of lack of motivation and enthusiasm. Chelsea has been poor away from home against the top six sides and today was another shambolic display from Maurizio's side.

Chelsea came into the game with Champions League spot up for grabs but their performances looked anything but a top six side. Man City's passing and movement was a nightmare for the Chelsea defenders as they conceded four goals in the first half.

On the other hand, when they had the ball, the Blues didn't look like scoring which made the performance even more disturbing for the fans.

#1 A statement victory from Pep Guardiola's side

A huge statement made by Pep Guardiola.

Manchester City was the bookmakers favorite at the start of the season to lift the Premier League title with Liverpool being their closest challengers. That prediction seemed justified as City sat comfortably at the top of the table until a visit to Stamford Bridge resulted in a series of disappointing results which took them to second in the league behind Liverpool.

However, after a shaky December, City has made their presence felt as they brushed teams aside at will. It's entirely reasonable for any lower ranked club to visit Etihad and get thrashed by four, five or six goals but scoring six against a side like Chelsea is itself a statement to rest of the Premier League title contenders.

Man City are chasing the quadruple this season and the way they have approached this game shows they would not settle down until that's achieved. This victory would not only give City a significant boost to their title aspirations but would be mentally damaging for Chelsea in their chase for a top-four finish.