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Manchester City soar to Premier League summit after thrashing West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City climb to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in their league opener at the Hawthorns.

Manchester City have soared to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in their opening match at The Hawthorns.

Yaya Toure of Manchester City (2L) is congratulated by team mates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

The visitors dominated possession in the early stages before taking an early lead through Yaya Toure, whose shot from just outside the box took a deflection and dribbled past the goal line.

It continued to be one-way traffic as Manuel Pellegrini's charges passed the ball around with ease and left their opponents dumbfounded.

Before long, City had doubled their lead courtesy of a second for Toure, who played a one-two with Wilfried Bony before coolly lashing the ball into the back of the net from 20 yards.

West Brom had to wait until the half-hour mark before even registering their first shot from goal, a wayward 35-yard free kick from debutant Rickie Lambert.

Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (L) scores from a deflection during the English Premier League football match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, central England, on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

The latter stages of the half saw a surge in action as Raheem Sterling was played in clean through on goal, but his shot was weak and easily stopped by Boaz Myhill.

Moments after that chance the hosts broke and Saido Berahino got the ball into the back of the net, only for the referee to call offside on the move.

West Brom continued to improve after the restart as Lambert lashed a free kick onto the roof of the City net, while Berahino failed to control a ball just eight yards from goal.

Despite this, the visitors remained unfazed and soon killed the game off on the hour, Vincent Kompany leaping high over the West Brom defence to emphatically nod a corner home.

Vincent Kompany of Manchester City scores their third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015© Getty Images

Tony Pulis's charges, to their credit, never gave up and continued to threaten Joe Hart's goalmouth, Chris Brunt sending a cross into the box that was nodded into the goalkeeper's arms by James Morrison.

Callum McManaman then appealed for penalty seven minutes from time after being challenged for a header in the box by Eliaquim Mangala, but the referee waved away the call.

Ultimately the Baggies couldn't do enough to grab at least a consolation as the 2013-14 Premier League champions got their campaign off to the perfect start, climbing to the top of the table after the first round of games and consigning their opponents to 20th place.

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Yaya Toure of Manchester City (2L) is congratulated by team mates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City at The Hawthorns on August 10, 2015
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