Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea

Manchester City finished second behind Chelsea in the Premier League last season

Manchester City laid down a significant early marker in the Premier League title race with a commanding dismissal of champions Chelsea at Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's turbulent week - shaped by the controversy surrounding the demotion of medical staff Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn - ended in misery as he saw his side outclassed by a resurgent City.

Sergio Aguero had been thwarted three times by Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic before giving City a deserved lead just after the half-hour, an advantage they never looked like losing.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho labelled the scoreline a "complete fake"

City's superiority was emphasised with two more late goals as captain Vincent Kompany headed in David Silva's corner and midfielder Fernandinho sent a thunderous finish past Begovic, whose excellent performance was just about the only positive for Chelsea.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini was left frustrated last season as his lavishly talented squad failed to live up to their potential, but all the riches were on show in front of a record crowd of 54,331 at the newly extended Etihad as they demonstrated a desire to reclaim the title Chelsea took from them last season.

• Read in-depth analysis from MOTD2's Alan Shearer on what went wrong for Chelsea

Manchester City look lean and hungry again

So often last season, in a lame Premier League title defence, City looked like a team resting on their laurels and lacking the hunger and desire to claim the big domestic prize.

The evidence so far this season, both here and in the victory at West Bromwich Albion on Monday, suggests the fires have been rekindled - and in this mood they take some stopping.

Captain Kompany was a dominant figure, adding another goal to his first of the season at The Hawthorns and looking to have regained much of his old authority, barely giving Chelsea's attack, led by the combustible Diego Costa, a chance.

Manchester City's next game is at Everton on 23 August

Yaya Toure looked back to his best with Fernandinho as the perfect foil, while an attack of the world-class pair of Aguero and Silva, now augmented by £49m Raheem Sterling, looks loaded with menace.

This was a powerful statement of intent.

Mourinho needs reinforcements

Chelsea look a long way short of the side that controlled the Premier League title race from start to finish last season - and Mourinho surely needs to get busy in the transfer market between now and deadline day.

Sergio Aguero had a passing accuracy of 94.7% with just one unsuccessful pass before he was replaced by Wilfried Bony

Everton's John Stones has been the subject of two failed bids of £20m and £26m - and there was enough vulnerability on show here to suggest Mourinho may try to go back to the negotiating table. The problem he has is Everton have no intention of selling their elegant young England defender.

John Terry, who has been a reliable figure at the centre of the defence, was replaced at half-time, with Mourinho confirming afterwards that his captain was not carrying an injury.

The jury remains out on whether the on-loan Falcao is an able deputy or assistant to Costa, who has proved vulnerable to hamstring injuries. This is no fault of the Colombian and he was making his way on to the pitch as a substitute when Kompany doubled City's lead.

New faces may be necessary simply to freshen the squad but at least Mourinho knows he has a fine deputy in goal as Begovic produced a superb display standing in for the suspended Thibaut Courtois.

Sterling can flourish surrounded by quality

Raheem Sterling, even at £49m, is very much a work in progress and this was proved again here as moments of quality were occasionally mixed with poor end product.

But it can only be to his, City and England's benefit to be working in such close proximity to world-class operators like Aguero and Silva. Remember how outstanding he was playing alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge at Liverpool when they almost won the league?

Sterling is in the learning process and will get the perfect education from the movement, finishing, creation and ruthlessness of Aguero and Silva.

When he can add even more of his own flourishes, City will be even more of a threat than they already are.

Man of the match: Fernandinho

Fernandinho worked tirelessly to ensure City ruled midfield, showed the sort of aggression to rough up Diego Costa and broke up play as well as helping to create chances.

Manager reaction

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, speaking to BBC Sport: "To play against Chelsea is always very difficult - they defend with a lot of players and are fast on the counter-attack.

"But today we made a complete game, not only because we scored three goals but in the first 45 minutes we could have scored three more. Only the great performance of Asmir Begovic was the reason why we couldn't.

"We played in the way I like, to always try to score more. It was a great performance."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Sport: "We were the best team by far in the second half. What they did in the first we did in the second.

"We dominated and when they feel they are in trouble, and they felt, they changed Aguero and Sterling. They try to recover control of the game exactly when they scored the second goal.

"Their goalkeeper was good and we couldn't score. They were only coming up with long balls. Not one single problem in the second half; they had lots."

The stats you need to know

• Chelsea defender John Terry was substituted in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2013 (v Aston Villa) and for the first time under Jose Mourinho.

• Chelsea had to wait until the 70th minute for their first shot on target.

• Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany has scored in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since December 2013.

• This is the first time under Jose Mourinho that Chelsea have conceded more than once in Manchester (v City or United).

• The last time Chelsea failed to win their first two Premier League games was 1998-99.

Up next

It doesn't get any easier for Chelsea. Their next match is away to West Bromwich Albion on 23 August. Last season they lost 3-0 at The Hawthorns.

Manchester City will attempt to make it three wins out of three when they visit Everton on 23 August.

Social media reaction