Manchester City made it seven Premier League wins in a row and 11 straight at the Etihad Stadium with a 4-2 victory over Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.
In the first half Edin Dzeko opened the scoring before Craig Noone levelled with a fine individual effort. However, three minutes later Jesus Navas tapped in to put his side back ahead.
As Cardiff looked like they might get something from the game, City scored two more goals before a late Fraizer Campbell tap-in added a consolation for Cardiff.
Here, Sports Mole analyses the result to see if the right team won.
Match statistics
Man City
Shots: 24
On target: 9
Possession: 62%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 6
Cardiff
Shots: 7
On target: 6
Possession: 38%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 5
Was the result fair?
Absolutely. At 4-1 it was perhaps a little bit harsh on the visitors, who battled and kept themselves rigid, but there is no doubt that the hosts deserved the win. At times they were unplayable, which in the end meant that they had more than enough for Cardiff, who have slipped to the bottom of the table.
Man City's performance
Manager Manuel Pellegrini will be concerned with his side's defending at times, but equally they overran Cardiff for long periods in the midfield. Edin Dzeko combined brilliantly with the midfield in the first half and when Sergio Aguero came on, he posed a completely different threat. Overall they were just far too strong for Cardiff.
Cardiff's performance
In the first half in particular Cardiff played to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's game plan very well. They kept things very tight at the back and closed down not so high up the pitch. In the end, however, they were outplayed for large spells and did not have the answers. There was no faulting the way they played and it was just that the side with far more quality came through in the end.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yaya Toure: The big Ivorian had a slightly slow start to the game, but the more it went on the more he had an influence on proceedings. What was important was that when his side were under a bit of pressure at 2-1 up he turned it on. His driving run for the third goal was as only he can do, before he set up the fourth with a defence-splitting through-ball.
Biggest gaffe
There was not a lot done in a game full of quality from both sides. However, although it didn't prove costly in the end, Vincent Kompany's defending for the Cardiff equaliser left a lot to be desired. He was turned far too easily by Noone and is fortunate that his side have so much attacking threat to get him out of the hole he might otherwise have been in.
Referee performance
Neil Swarbrick had a good game. There was perhaps a bit of controversy over the opening goal as David Silva might have handled the ball in the build-up, but it probably would have been a harsh decision. Other than that he let the game flow and only went to his pocket when absolutely necessary.
What next?
Man City: Tonight's hosts take a break from league action with the away leg of their League Cup tie with West Ham United. Expect a host of changes again.
Cardiff: Cardiff may as well stay in Manchester as they take on United a week on Tuesday after an FA Cup game with Bolton Wanderers on the Saturday.
Matt Domm
