Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal: Sergio Aguero hattrick sees Pep Guardiola's side bounce back. It was sort of the perfect hat-trick: a header, one with the right foot, one with the left, er, elbow. Still, that it not what will be concerning historians in the years to come.

This was the 14th hat-trick of Aguero’s Manchester City career, and his tenth in the Premier League – bringing him one short of Alan Shearer’s record of 11.

How good is that? Well, put it like this, as it stands Aguero has scored as many hat-tricks as Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Mo Salah, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku – combined. 

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 7, Walker 7, Otamendi 7, Laporte 7.5, Fernandinho 8, Gundogan 7, Bernardo Silva 7, De Bruyne 8 (Mahrez 88'), Silva 7, Sterling 8.5, Aguero 9 (Gabriel Jesus 81')

SUBS UNUSED: Danilo, Stones, Delph, Sane, Muric

BOOKED: Gundogan

GOALS: Aguero 1, 43, 60

MANAGER: Pep Guardiola 7

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Leno 7, Mustafi 6, Koscielny 6, Monreal 6, Lichtsteiner 5.5, Torreira 7, Guendouzi 6, Kolasinac 5 (Denis Suarez 66' 5), Iwobi 5 (Ramsey 66' 6), Aubameyang 5.5, Lacazette 6.5

SUBS UNUSED: Cech, Elneny, Ozil, Mavropanos, Nketiah

BOOKED: Torreira

GOAL: Koscielny 10 

MANAGER: Unai Emery 6.5

REFEREE: Martin Atkinson 5

ATT: 54,483

MOTM: Aguero

Player ratings by Jack Gaughan 

Take Lukaku out and put Steven Gerrard in, and he’s got more. This is a phenomenal, match-winning, title-winning goalscorer. Will he win the title again this year? It won’t be for want of trying.

Aguero’s hat-trick wasn’t spectacular but it was the striker’s art encapsulated – yes, even the one that shouldn’t have been allowed. Raheem Sterling cut the ball back, Bernd Leno pushed it – he should have gathered it, no doubt of that – and Aguero bundled it over the line. 

It touched the top of one leg, his flank and most crucially an elbow, but Martin Atkinson let it stand. Arsenal will feel aggrieved at that but it is unlikely to have made much difference to the outcome. 

City were comfortable by then – so comfortable that when Arsenal’s new signing Dennis Suarez came on, Pep Guardiola took four steps sideways to pat him on the back and wish him well. You don’t do that if you’re greatly worried.

Of all the goals scored in the first minute since the inception of the Premier League, 1.4 per cent of them have been scored by Sergio Aguero in the last six days. 

A 50 second opener here to go with the 24 second goal he scored in Newcastle on Tuesday, the two fastest goals of the season so far; City certainly know how to hit the ground running, even if they are not always adept at maintaining such a ferocious pace.

So, as at Newcastle, Aguero got City off to a flyer and then what followed was something of a puzzle. City had enough opportunities to put the game away, before letting Arsenal back into it. They are becoming quite the enigma. 

Long periods of drift, followed by explosions of genius. By the end of the half, they had two goals: Aguero’s lightning first, and quite possibly one of the moves of the season to create his second. Yet, in between? It was a little worrying.

Start at the beginning – and what a beginning it was. Alex Iwobi dawdled on the ball, as Arsenal repelled an attack and was caught in possession by Aymeric Laporte. He crossed and Aguero finished with a diving header – an all too rare means of conversion in the modern game.  

Within ten minutes, City could have had two or three more. 

They were short-changed by referee Martin Atkinson when Shkodran Mustafi undoubtedly tugged at Aguero as he attempted to get in behind to receive a pass from Kevin De Bruyne. 

It should have been a penalty, but Atkinson waved it away. A superb save from Bernd Leno kept out a 30 yard effort from Raheem Sterling with merely five minutes gone but in that short time City looked capable of anything. Somehow, Arsenal