Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth

Sterling has scored three goals so far this season

A scintillating Manchester City made it eight wins out of eight in all competitions this season as they easily beat Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium.

Kevin de Bruyne put the league leaders in front with a low free-kick under the wall after a Jack Wilshere foul.

City were dominant and two clinical counter-attacks led to Kelechi Iheanacho and Raheem Sterling tap-ins.

Ilkay Gundogan calmly slotted in a fourth but City had Nolito sent off late on for an attempted head-butt.

The Spaniard was involved in a clash with Adam Smith and, while any contact with his head looked slight, referee Jon Moss had little option but to dismiss the winger.

Relive Manchester City's win over Bournemouth

Follow action and reaction to Saturday's games

Deadly De Bruyne

City's passing and movement was a joy to watch and the influential De Bruyne was at the heart of their play.

The Belgian midfielder, who scored in the win over against Manchester United last week, played behind main striker Iheanacho and caused Bournemouth all sorts of problems as he was involved in all his side's goals before going off to a standing ovation.

De Bruyne's absence for two months last season was a huge setback for City as they dropped from second to fourth in the Premier League, and from three points behind leaders Leicester to 15.

The 25-year-old's intelligence, running with the ball and vision made him a constant threat and his link-up play with Sterling, Nolito and Iheanacho left Bournemouth bemused.

"The performance from Kevin was terrific, amazing," said City boss Pep Guardiola. "He is on another level. He is a fantastic player and helps us a lot."

De Bruyne's touchmap (left) shows the impact he had on the game compared to the touchmap of Wilshere (right)

The rebirth of Sterling

Sterling did score a hat-trick against the Cherries at the Etihad last season but, for most of the campaign, was a subdued presence following his £49m move from Liverpool.

However, the 21-year-old appears to be back to his livewire best as he closely pushed De Bruyne in the man of the match stakes.

The dribbling skills and pace that make him such a threat were impressively on show against Bournemouth and he has clearly benefited from the arrival of Guardiola.

The City boss phoned Sterling during the summer before officially taking over to tell the winger he was a big part of his plans, and the Spaniard looks to have restored his confidence.

Apart from his goal, and his assist for Iheanacho, Sterling also went close when he dispossessed Charlie Daniels on the right flank, producing a mesmerising run across the Cherries box - past a host of defenders - before seeing his shot hit the post.

Overall, Sterling has now had a hand in eight goals in his seven appearances for Manchester City this season, scoring three and assisting five.

How did Wilshere do?

Like his team, Wilshere looked out of his depth on a chastening afternoon for both as he made his first start of the season following his loan move from Arsenal.

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe replaced striker Callum Wilson, who scored the winner against West Brom last week, with the England man to reinforce his midfield, but the move did not pay off.

Wilshere clumsily shoved Nolito off the ball to concede the free-kick from which City scored their opener and the 24-year-old struggled to have an impact on the game.

The visitors were also guilty of giving the ball away too cheaply and, although Josh King's pace did cause City some moments of concern, they rarely had the ball long enough to use that as a weapon.

Bournemouth, who saw Wilson's shot hit the crossbar, had 35.7% possession in the match.

"It was difficult for Jack in the first half, because he's at his best when he has the ball, and we didn't have too much of it," said Howe.

Man of the match - Kevin de Bruyne

De Bruyne has had a hand in 34 goals in his 48 appearances for Manchester City in all competitions (18 goals, 16 assists)

What they said:

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "Our high pressing was not perfect today - we had problems with controlling the Bournemouth build-up, but we created a lot of counter-attacks.

On the sending off of Nolito: "The referee took a decision and we have to accept that."

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "It was a tough day. Manchester City were excellent. The nature of the first two goals against us was disappointing.

"They're a very impressive team. When you play against the best, your learning is accelerated. That said, we had some opportunities but didn't make the most of them. We weren't at our very best, but you have to give them credit."

'City like Barca'

BBC Radio 5 live pundit Jermaine Jenas: "The way Guardiola has Manchester City playing at the moment is astonishing. It's like watching Barca at the Nou Camp."

The stats you need to know

• Manchester City have won their first eight games of the season in all competitions, the first top-flight team to achieve this since Chelsea, whose run extended to nine games, in 2005-06.

• Kelechi Iheanacho has scored 10 Premier League goals from just 14 shots on target in the competition.

• Ilkay Gundogan is the first player to score on his Manchester City Premier League debut since Javi Garcia in September 2012.

• Bournemouth have kept just one clean sheet in their past 14 Premier League games.

• Jack Wilshere has failed to complete 90 minutes in any of his past 18 Premier League games, last playing a full game in the top flight on 13 September 2014 against Manchester City.

What next?

Manchester City play at Swansea twice in a row with an EFL Cup game on Wednesday, 21 September and a league game three days later. Bournemouth host Preston in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, 20 September before a home game in the league against Everton on Saturday, 24 September.