Manchester City moved one step closer to the Premier League title after thrashing Everton 3-1 in their clash at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men knew that victory against the Toffees would allow them to secure the title next week when they host Manchester United in the Manchester Derby.

City got off to the ideal start as they took the lead in no time. The ball was played out wide to David Silva whose cross brilliantly picked out Leroy Sane; the German then thumped a brilliant strike past Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal, 1-0 with just four minutes on the clock.

It was not long before the Citizens doubled their lead. A lighting quick counterattack saw Kevin de Bruyne receive the ball in the box. The Belgian international expertly picked out Gabriel Jesus who made no mistake with his close-range header, 2-0 with just twelve minutes gone.

Things were not getting better for Sam Allardyce’s men as the visitors got their third with thirty-seven minutes played. Silva received the ball with acres of space in front of him down the left-hand side. The Spaniard steadied himself and found the run of Raheem Sterling with a perfectly weighted ball, leaving the Englishman with an easy finish.

The score was 3-0 at half-time with Manchester City well in command.

The champions-elect picked up where they left off in the second half, keeping the ball and forcing Everton to sit deep to prevent further damage.

The home side then hit back through Yannick Bolasie. The ball got worked over to the former Crystal Palace man who let one loose from 20 yards out and managed to find the bottom corner with the ball bouncing in off the inside of Ederson’s front post.

City may have had a couple of nervous moments after conceding the goal but managed to recompose themselves, quickly slipping back into their possession game.

The final score was 3-1 with the Blue side of Manchester taking a step closer to the title.

Photo: Nigel French/Backpagepix