Twitter erupts as Manchester City thrash Manchester United 4-1

Manchester City and Manchester United locked horns at the Etihad Stadium in what went down as an entertaining game of football between the two great rivals. The game was expected to be tightly contested due to the history of the fixture, but the Cityzens showed their class with a 4-1 win to go six points clear at the top of the table.

Cristiano Ronaldo's absence was the headline team news for the away side, with the Portuguese star reportedly missing out due to a hip problem. Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane were also out, so Ralf Rangnick was forced to make a handful of changes to his squad.

Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock in the Manchester derby with a close-range finish, with the Manchester United backline left in tatters in the opening moments of the game. The home side dominated proceedings and threatened to double their advantage, but Manchester United struck back through Jadon Sancho, who found the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area to restore parity.

Manchester City grew in stature as the game progressed and restored their lead before half-time, as De Bruyne doubled his tally with another close-range finish after the ball ricocheted kindly towards him.

Manchester United lose to arch-rivals in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence

The second half showed the gulf of class between the two sides, as Manchester City took initiative of the game right from the get-go. Pep Guardiola's side dominated possession and added another goal through Riyad Mahrez, whose sweetly struck volley found its way into the back of the net via a slight deflection.

Mahrez scored another late in the game to cap off what turned out to be a happy outing for the hosts, as the table-toppers made a massive statement with a commanding victory.

On that note, here are some of the best tweets from a derby that turned out to be a one-sided affair at the Etihad Stadium.