Manchester City ran out comfortable winners at home to Aston Villa.
Mario Balotelli did his best to prove to manager Roberto Mancini that he is his number one striker as his stunning goal helped City on their way to a crushing win that handed them the outright leadership of the Barclays Premier League.
Given the chance to lead the line for a second straight match, the 21-year-old, a £24m signing from Inter Milan last summer, thrived on the responsibility and his sumptuous first-half overhead kick brought his side to life after a sterile opening. With Villa's resistance broken, Adam Johnson, Vincent Kompany and James Milner added second-half goals and Owen Hargreaves came on for his Barclays Premier League debut on a near-perfect afternoon for City, who pulled two points clear of cross-city rivals United ahead of next weekend's Manchester derby. Stephen Warnock netted a consolation for Villa.
For an in-depth match report, click here.
