Manchester City have moved five points clear of Chelsea in the Premier League following a 3-0 victory over the reigning champions on Sunday afternoon.

Sergio Aguero opened the scoring in the first period, before Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho added gloss to the scoreline in the final 15 minutes.

Man City have won both of their league fixtures this season, but Chelsea have now taken just one point from an available six.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Premier League rivals.

Match statistics

MAN CITY
Shots: 18
On target: 8
Possession: 50%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 17

CHELSEA
Shots: 7
On target: 2
Possession: 50%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

In truth, even the most ardent of Chelsea supporters would find it difficult to make a case for their team at the Etihad. Man City were on the front foot from the very first whistle and should have been two or three goals ahead inside the opening 22 minutes. Aguero, however, could not win his individual battle with Asmir Begovic as Chelsea survived an early onslaught. Aguero continued to find space, however, and the Argentine had the game's all-important goal in the 32nd minute. In fairness to Chelsea, they did improve in the second half and had a couple of decent opportunities to find a leveller. The hosts killed the game in the 79th minute, however, when Kompany found the back of the net, before Fernandinho added gloss to the score in the latter stages. Worryingly for Chelsea, it could have been a lot more than 3-0 on the afternoon.

Statistics rarely paint a false picture in football and the fact that Man City had 18 attempts is an indication of their dominance. Indeed, it took Chelsea until the 70th minute to register their first attempt on target and it was Eden Hazard that brought a super save from Joe Hart. The possession statistics actually finished equal, but there is no doubting that the home team were the more progressive in the final third and indeed the more defensively sound down the other end. A one-goal home win would have flattered Chelsea, but two late goals for Man City made the scoreline a fair reflection of what occurred.

Man City's performance

Having put three unanswered goals past West Brom in their league opener last Monday, Manuel Pellegrini would have been looking for more of the same from his team this afternoon. Well, he got an even better performance. The home side should have been ahead inside the first minute when David Silva found Aguero with a super pass, but the Argentine was denied by Begovic, who proved Chelsea's best player in the first period. Aguero had another three excellent chances in a five-minute spell at the mid-point of the first period, but somehow the match remained level. The Argentine was not to be denied at the fifth time of asking, however, as he sent Pellegrini's side ahead with a cool finish. Eliaquim Mangala had a wonderful chance to make it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time, but the centre-back headed wide from inside the box. At the interval, the only worrying thing for Pellegrini was that his team were not more than one goal ahead of the champions.

The half-time break did nothing to stem the flow of dominance, however, as Man City continued to press. Aleksandar Kolarov proved absolutely menacing down the left, while Aguero and Yaya Toure were running the match in forward areas. The home team only really conceded one proper chance throughout the match and Chelsea could not take advantage as Hart denied Hazard from close range. The visitors continued to press in the minutes that followed, but Man City ended strongly and scored an all-important second through Kompany 10 minutes from time. At that point, the game was over, but they still had time to score a third through Fernandinho, who was a touch fortunate to remain on the field following an elbow on Diego Costa. It was an overwhelmingly positive afternoon for Man City, who have sent out a serious message here.

Chelsea's performance

There is no question that Chelsea were off-colour against Swansea City in their league opener last weekend, but many would still have expected the Blues to make it difficult for the home side at the Etihad. In truth, that was never really the case. As mentioned, Jose Mourinho's team could have been four goals behind at the interval after a first period where Chelsea simply could not deal with the threat from the hosts. Cesc Fabregas and Ramires could not find an understanding in terms of position, which left Nemanja Matic with far too much ground to cover. Defensively, the champions were also poor, with John Terry, who was substituted at the interval, struggling to deal with the movement of the Man City attack. There was also no threat down the other end, with Hazard and Costa both struggling to make their mark. The only positive for Mourinho was that at 1-0, the game was very much still in the balance. It is not easy to just find a second-half performance after a disappointing first, however, and that proved the case as Man City continued to play the better football.

There is no question that Chelsea improved in the second period, but they did not hit the target until 20 minutes from time, when Hazard was denied by Hart after excellent work from Costa. Costa, who seemed at boiling point for most of the match, hit the post late on before Radamel Falcao went close, but both of those chances came at 3-0, when the game was over. Poor defending contributed to Man City's second of the match, with Branislav Ivanovic guilty of allowing Kompany space to head past Ivanovic. Man City's third was a special strike from Fernandinho, but it was again disappointing defending from the visitors, who afforded too much space all afternoon. Losing to one of your closest rivals is always disappointing, but taking a hiding, which was the case, is extremely concerning. They looked a team short of ideas and energy, which simply could not be said last season. A response is needed in the weeks ahead as the Blues enter a really testing run of fixtures.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Sergio Aguero: Man City left-back Kolarov runs Aguero close for this award, but the Argentine just gets the nod. He might have missed four excellent chances in the first period, but he continued to make himself available and eventually netted in the first period. Chelsea simply could not deal with the forward, who looked so sharp on his return to the team. On his day, there are no better strikers in the Premier League.

Biggest gaffe

Hazard was rightly recognised as the Premier League's best player last season, but he had a poor game at the Etihad. The Belgian had a golden chance to level the scores 20 minutes from time after he cut into the Man City box, but the attacker's effort was straight at Hart from close range. It was a chance that the 24-year-old would not have missed last season.

Referee performance

As expected, it was a busy afternoon for Martin Atkinson, who issued six yellow cards. The referee was forced to deal with a number of flash points, especially in the latter stages of the first period, but managed to keep a lid on proceedings. Fernandinho was perhaps a touch fortunate to remain on the pitch for an elbow on Costa, but it was a tough call. Overall, Atkinson can be pretty pleased with his work.

What next?

Man City: Pellegrini's side will attempt to make it three wins from three when they travel to Everton next Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea: The Blues, meanwhile, make the trip to West Bromwich Albion next Sunday.