JOIN USManchester City’s Sergio Aguero struck his second hat-trick in a week as the champions ruthlessly destroyed woeful Chelsea in a 6-0 win at The Etihad on Sunday to return to the top of the Premier League.
City and Liverpool are both on 65 points with City having the better goal difference although they have played one more game than their rivals. Third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Leicester City 3-1 earlier are five points behind.
Aguero, who scored a hat-trick seven days ago against Arsenal, has now equalled Alan Shearer’s record of 11 Premier League hat-tricks.
Raheem Sterling fired City ahead in the fourth minute with a side-foot finish after a quick free-kick from Kevin De Bruyne had caught the Chelsea defence napping.
After Aguero had somehow missed an open goal from two metres, the Argentine promptly beat goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a blistering strike from 25 metres.
A poor header towards his own goal from Chelsea’s Ross Barkley gifted Aguero with City’s third goal and then a low drive from Ilkay Gundogan made it 4-0 after 25 minutes.
Following the break, Aguero, who also became City’s top scorer in league games, headed against the bar before he completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Sterling had been brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta.
Sterling completed the rout, turning in a low cross from Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 80th. The defeat was Chelsea’s worst since their 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in 1991.
Tottenham kept alive their bid to gate-crash the title race as Davinson Sanchez’s first goal for the club and Hugo Lloris’s penalty save inspired a facile win over Leicester.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side took the lead through Sanchez’s first half header, but they were indebted to Lloris for keeping out Jamie Vardy’s spot-kick after the interval at Wembley.
Christian Eriksen netted moments later and although Vardy got one back, Son Heung-min’s late strike ensured third-placed Tottenham clinched a fifth win in their last six league games.
Tottenham were rewarded with a well-worked 33rd minute opener.
Trippier’s short corner found the unmarked Eriksen and he whipped a pin-point cross towards Sanchez six yards from goal. Sanchez launched himself into a diving header that flashed past Schmeichel.
Vardy missed a spot kick and Eriksen doubled the lead three minutes later for Spurs.
Vardy gave Leicester hope in the 76th minute by converting Pereira’s cross in typically predatory fashion. But Son had the last word in the 90th minute as the winger raced clear to slot past Schmeichel.