Manchester City moved six points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea with a 5-0 win over basement side Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.
City, who have three games in hand on the Blues, secured all the points courtesy of a hat-trick from Yaya Toure, who netted two penalties in addition to a long-range strike after 65 minutes, and late efforts from Fernandinho and Martin Demichelis.
Meanwhile, Fulham finished the match with 10 men, with Fernando Amorebieta dismissed for fouling David Silva during the second penalty incident in the early stages of the second period.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Premier League rivals.
Match statistics
Man City
Shots: 22
On target: 12
Possession: 68%
Corners: 13
Fouls: 8
Fulham
Shots: 5
On target: 0
Possession: 32%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
In truth, 5-0 is slightly harsh on Fulham, who were well in the match at the interval, but the league's basement side simply fell apart in the second period under constant pressure. Two of City's five strikes were penalties, but they certainly deserved to collect all the points in comfortable fashion. The goals have not quite flowed for the home side in recent weeks, but that was certainly the case this afternoon. Meanwhile, Fulham failed to register a single attempt on target.
Man City's performance
City led 1-0 at the interval, but there was little in the match, with Fulham having their fair share of chances in an end-to-end 45 minutes of football. The second penalty incident and resulting red card entirely changed the contest, however, with Manuel Pellegrini's side taking control of proceedings. Some teams might have been happy with a 2-0 win, but the home side were relentless in the latter stages as they continued to force the issue. It wasn't vintage City for long spells, but they still managed to score five times without conceding, which is a worry for their fellow title challengers.
Fulham's performance
At the interval, Fulham manager Felix Magath will have been delighted with his side. They had restricted City to few clear opportunities and had threatened down the other end on a number of occasions. However, the Cottagers simply fell apart in the second period. The league's basement outfit set up to defend and then counter attack, but never really had the personnel capable of worrying City, with Cauley Woodrow's lack of pace allowing the City defence to push high up the pitch. A clean sheet arrived against Newcastle United last weekend, but they were woeful in defensive areas this afternoon, especially in the second period.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yaya Toure: It was another midfield masterclass from the Ivorian, who netted two penalties before curling one into the top corner from outside the box in the second period. It does not matter where the former Barcelona midfielder is deployed, he is always a star performer. Fulham simply had no answer to his power in the final third.
Biggest gaffe
Fulham's 28-year-old defender Amorebieta had an absolute horror this afternoon. The former Athletic Bilbao centre-back conceded a penalty in the first period following a clumsy challenge on Alvaro Negredo, while he missed an absolute sitter at the other end when he found some space from a corner. It got worse in the early stages of the second period when the experienced defender was sent off for conceding another penalty, with City moving 2-0 ahead from the resulting spot kick. Up until that point, the visitors had restricted City to very little.
Referee performance
It was a busy afternoon for official Jonathan Moss, who was called on to award two penalties and produce a red card. However, the referee got all three major decisions correct. There were four bookings in total - all for Fulham - but there will be little complaint about the award. Moss was certainly heavily involved in some aspects, but he did allow the play to flow in the correct areas.
What next?
Man City: Next up for Pellegrini's side in the league is a trip to Old Trafford to face rivals Manchester United.
Fulham: The Cottagers, meanwhile, welcome Everton to Craven Cottage next Sunday afternoon.
Matt Law
