West Brom 0-5 Manchester City: Player ratings as City go top with big win

Manchester City went top of the Premier League with an emphatic 5-0 victory over West Brom on Tuesday night.

Things got off to a dramatic start with City taking the lead inside six minutes. Joao Cancelo provided the assist, swinging a ball into the path of Ilkay Gundogan, who then showed good close control and curled one past Sam Johnstone.

City then doubled their lead in controversial circumstances: Cancelo's sumptuous strike was initially ruled out after the assistant referee flagged for offside, only for the decision to be overturned following a VAR review.

Gundogan grabbed his second and City's third soon after, manoeuvring the ball past two defenders and calmly slotting home. Before the Baggies could retreat into the changing room for half-time, their visitors grabbed another. This time Riyad Mahrez was the scorer, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot before unleashing a powerful effort into the top corner.

Just the one more goal in the second half, with Mahrez and Raheem Sterling combining well to make it 5-0 before the hour mark.

Here are your player ratings...

West Brom

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Sam Johnstone (GK) - 6/10 - Made an excellent early save moments before Gundogan gave City the lead. Could do nothing about any of the goals in all honesty.

Darnell Furlong (RB) - 5/10 - Given a tough time by both Foden in the first half and Sterling in the second. Will be glad to see the back of City for a while.

Semi Ajayi (CB) - 6/10 - Had an excellent chance to score early on, but was denied by Ederson. Carried the ball forward well, but was part of a Baggies defence that really struggled.

Dara O'Shea (CB) - 5/10 - Won a few aerial duels, but as the scoreline reflects this was a struggle for all concerned at the back for the hosts. Helped by Bartley's presence in the second half.

Kieran Gibbs (LB) - 3/10 - Nowhere to be seen as City got in down his flank time and time again. Left for dead for Sterling's goal to make it 5-0. One to forget for the former Arsenal man.

2. Midfielders

Robert Snodgrass (RM) - 5/10 - Typically put in the hard yards, but contributed little before departing just before the hour mark.

Jake Livermore (CM) - 5/10 - Was one of those who didn't play to the whistle as Cancelo struck. Broke up play well on occasion, but generally swarmed by the City midfield and unable to provide an outlet.

Romaine Sawyers (CM) - 4/10 - Easily dispossessed by Gundogan in the buildup to City's third. Barely saw the ball thereafter and didn't use it well enough when he did.

Karlan Grant (LM) - 4/10 - Wasn't in the game at all and thrown up top at half-time. Ran hard, but replaced 20 minutes into the second period.

Matheus Pereira (AM) - 5/10 - Predictably saw very little of the ball against a dominant City side. Shifted out to the right in a second-half reshuffle but didn't have much joy.

3. Forward

Callum Robinson (ST) - 5/10 - A willing runner, fired a rare opportunity wide in the first half. Hooked at half-time and replaced by a defender as Big Sam reverted to damage limitation.

4. Substitutes

Kyle Bartley - 6/10 - Brought on at half-time for Robinson as Big Sam reverted to a defensive shape. Shored things up but the game was already gone.

Matt Phillips (LM) - N/A

Hal Robson-Kanu (ST) - 4/10 - Booked.

Manchester City

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Ederson (GK) - 6/10 - Only called into action once. Kicking was pretty solid.

Joao Cancelo (RB) - 8/10 - A lovely assist and an even lovelier finish. A shame that the controversy will tarnish what was a splendid goal. He also hit some probing long balls.

John Stones (CB) - 7/10 - Wonderfully tidy in possession and did not allow complacency to slip into his performance.

Ruben Dias (CB) - 7/10 - Very little to do to be honest. Still, it's another clean sheet to add to his growing collection.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (LB) - 8/10 - Provided his side with a real threat down the left hand side, essentially operating as a left midfielder for most of the game.

6. Midfielders

Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - 9/10 - One of his best displays in a City shirt. He scored two superb goals and generally wreaked havoc all night. A shame he was not given the chance to complete his hat-trick.

Rodri (CM) - 7/10 - Kept things ticking over in possession and offered some resistance on the (very) rare occasions that West Brom broke forward.

Bernardo Silva (AM) - 7/10 - Picked up some dangerous positions and played his role in many promising City moves.

7. Forwards

Raheem Sterling (RW) - 8/10 - One of three City players to register a goal and an assist. Looking closer to being back to his best with each passing game.

Riyad Mahrez (ST) - 9/10 - Got his trademark goal and caused lots of problems with his movement. Great assist for Sterling's goal as well.

Phil Foden (LW) - 8/10 - An important cog in City's well-drilled offensive machine. Registered two key passes and two accurate crosses before being subbed just after the break.

8. Substitutes

Ferran Torres - 6/10 - Was lively but did not manage to score or assist.

Aymeric Laporte - 6/10 - One of the easiest 40 minutes of his life. The Baggies caused him very few problems.

Gabriel Jesus - 6/10 - 30 more minutes in the tank. A goal would have nice for his confidence.