Manchester City 5-1 Bournemouth

Raheem Sterling has scored five goals for City his season

Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth to remain top of the Premier League.

City were missing the injured Sergio Aguero but went ahead when Sterling poked in from close range.

Adam Federici then spilled a cross for Wilfried Bony to tap in before Glenn Murray scored from 20 yards.

Sterling waltzed around the Cherries defence for his second and made up for Jesus Navas' hesitation to grab a third before Bony turned and struck late on.

It was a clinical performance from 20-year-old Sterling, who scored a first career hat-trick after being criticised for his lack of composure in front of goal since his £44m move from Liverpool.

But the England international also benefited from a fine display from Kevin de Bruyne, whose pass for Sterling's second goal was almost worth the entrance fee alone.

• Relive City's win over Bournemouth

• All the reaction to Saturday's Premier League results

Sterling and De Bruyne show worth

Manchester City's average positions show that Raheem Sterling (7) played ahead of Wilfried Bony (14) for a lot of the game

City were without top scorer Aguero and star midfielder David Silva, but new signings Sterling and De Bruyne - worth a combined £99m - showed they were more than capable of leading City's charge in pursuit of a Premier League title.

Following a 6-1 win over Newcastle before the international break, Sterling started behind lone striker Bony, while De Bruyne tormented the Bournemouth defence from the left with his wonderful range of passing and a hammer shot.

Adam Federici, who was drawn into the Cherries goal after Artur Boruc was injured in the warm-up, denied the Belgium international with a fine save.

But his defence were often strung apart by the movement of the City pair, who will hope they can do the same in next weekend's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

With Aguero out for a month, Bony's first goals of the season will also give the team confidence. The Ivory Coast striker doubled his City tally since his £28m move from Swansea last January.

Kevin De Bruyne has three goals and three assists in four Premier League starts

Cherries suffer harsh lesson

The match proved a steep learning curve for Bournemouth, who were unlucky not to be awarded an early penalty after Dan Gosling was brought down by Nicolas Otamendi.

Eddie Howe warned his team they would need to reach new levels in order to contend with City, but their commitment to attack meant they left plenty of space for the hosts to exploit.

Federici, who gifted Arsenal a winner in last season's FA Cup semi-final while playing for Reading, contributed to Bony's opener when he spilled a left-wing cross.

But the visitors could not cope with City's attacking threat as Bournemouth slipped two places to sit fourth from bottom of the table.

And with several players out injured, including top scorer Callum Wilson, it looks to be a long, hard winter for the promoted side.

Man of the match: Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling has now scored five goals for Manchester City this season

Manager reaction

Manchester City manager Pellegrini on Raheem Sterling's first career hat-trick: "When we bought Raheem in the summer I said we are buying a 20-year-old who is very young and needs to improve. He is not a striker but he can improve his finishing and, today, he did."

"I am happy because we changed his position and played him in the middle, with Wilfried Bony in front of him.

"We felt it was better for him to be near Bony and also near the box. We also had to do something different because we were without Sergio Aguero and David Silva."

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe: "It was a difficult afternoon for us. We made a really bad start and gifted them goals which is a recipe for disaster against such a quality team.

"Losing our keeper Artur Boruc just before kick-off was a big blow because he has done so well for us for a long time and he gives the back four a lot of confidence.

"There was a spell in the first half when the score was 3-1 where I thought we were on top but we conceded a crucial goal before half-time. That was a real killer blow in terms of our hopes of getting back into the game in the second half."

Former Manchester City boss Howard Kendall was remembered prior to kick-off after passing away on Saturday

Stats you need to know

• Raheem Sterling has become the 11th different player to score a Premier League hat-trick while aged under 21.

• All four of Sterling's goals in the Premier League this season have come against newly-promoted sides.

• Kevin De Bruyne has scored four goals and assisted four more in his last six games in all competitions for Manchester City.

• Bournemouth scored from their only shot on target.

• Glenn Murray has scored nine Premier League goals in 22 appearances in 2015, compared to one goal in 16 apperances before this year.

What next?

Manchester City host Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday ahead of the Manchester derby while Bournemouth host Tottenham a week on Sunday.