Manchester City v Leeds United ratings: De Bruyne 9, Foden 8; Meslier 3, Dallas 5

Guardiola's team cruise to emphatic 7-0 win and extend lead at top of the table

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 6 - The Brazilian could have used a deck chair for the majority of the game as he watched his team completely dominate the game. EPA

Oleksandr Zinchenko 7 - Got forward on the left flank to stretch the Leeds defence, and that opened up plenty of space for City’s attacking players in the middle of the park. Getty

Aymeric Laporte 7 - Brought the ball out of defence when the opportunity presented itself and didn’t allow Leeds attacks to develop on the rare occasion that the ball got worked into City’s defensive third. EPA

Ruben Dias 7 - Played aggressively to be first to the ball and pressed high to help maintain lengthy spells of pressure for City. AP

John Stones 7- Caught in no mans land close to halftime which presented Leeds with their best attack of the first period, but was solid other than that. Got on the scoresheet. Getty

Rodri 8 - Involved in all of City’s best attacking moves as Rodri looked to advance and challenge Leeds defence. Picked out De Bruyne after half of an hour for City’s third of the game. AFP

Kevin De Bruyne 9 - Pulled the strings from the middle of the park and got himself a brace with a left-foot finish and a thunderous strike on his stronger side. Reuters

Bernardo Silva 6 - Silva has been in great form this season but he has to do much better with his chance, placing wide with an empty net to aim at. Reuters

Jack Grealish 7 - The £100million man is finally back among the goals and took his header in the manner of an assured targetman. EPA

Phil Foden 8 - Reacted quickest when Meslier pushed the ball out into the dangerzone and had some luck to see his effort fail to be cleared by Stuart Dallas. Close to getting a second but was marginally offside. AFP

Riyad Mahrez 8 - A well delivered cross saw Mahrez ease the ball into the danger area for Grealish to head home. Got on the scoresheet courtesy of a wicked deflection. A threat for the full 90 minutes. EPA

SUBS: Ilkay Gundogan (Silva, 46’) 7 - Quickly involved and was unlucky not to score when guiding the ball just past the post. Linked play well to maintain City’s dominance. Reuters

Fernandinho (Rodri, 56’) 7 - An enjoyable outing for Fernandinho who came on and kept things simple as his team cruised to victory. Reuters

Nathan Ake (Dias, 65’) 7 - On for Dias and found the back of the net for the seventh. PA

LEEDS RATINGS: Illan Meslier 3 - His goal was peppered throughout the match as he watched his defensive line make needless mistakes, and it’s hard to give anything more than a three after conceding seven times. EPA

Junior Firpo 3 - Lost the ball in some dangerous areas and struggled to cope with the threat of Mahrez. Unlucky to be involved in City’s fourth after a deflection sent the ball past his own goalkeeper. Getty

Diego Llorente 3- A shocking pass was picked off but the centre-back was relieved to see Silva miss an open goal from the resulting play. Looked messy at times when isolated. Getty

Luke Ayling 3 - The defender was beaten by Rodri too easily for the opening goal. The tackle looked lacklustre, and he then stood still instead of trying to react to the next phase of play. AP

Jamie Shackleton 3 - A tough night at the office before Shackleton was withdrawn for Mateusz Klich. AFP

Adam Forshaw 4 - Struggled with the opponent’s movement as Manchester City’s midfield took full control of the game. EPA

Jack Harrison 5 - Had space in the box during the second half but got the final decision all wrong to give possession straight back to City. AP

Tyler Roberts 5 - Worked hard and tried to get Leeds moving in the right direction, only for his final ball to let him down. EPA

Stuart Dallas 5 - A poor attempted clearance did little to divert Phil Foden’s shot away from the goal for the opener, but almost made amends with an excellent strike that struck the post. Getty

Raphinha 4 - Too wasteful on the ball on the night, though the Brazilian winger wasn’t helped by the lack of impetus Leeds showed when attacking as a team. PA

Daniel James 5 - Largely a spectator throughout the match from a stranded position upfront. The 24-year-old had no service at all on the night and was replaced at the break. AP

SUBS: Mateusz Klich (Shackleton 38) 6 - Looked bright when deployed in midfield and began some attacks by getting the ball down and transitioning it forward. AFP

Gelhardt (James, 46) 5 - Showed intensity when on the ball, but the young striker found the same issues as James when introduced - a complete lack of service. Cody Dramer (Firpo, 73) N/R - Introduced for Firpo in the 73rd minute. Getty

Manchester City moved four points clear at the top of the table after a 7-0 thrashing of Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

After Pep Guardiola's team took an eighth-minute lead through Phil Foden, it was one-way traffic as City made it seven Premier League wins a row.

Foden's effort was the 500th Premier League goal scored by the club in 207 games under Pep Guardiola – the fastest any team has reached that landmark.

Kevin De Bruyne was brilliant as he scored twice on his first league start since November 6 after the Belgian star recovered from Covid-19.

Foden, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones and Nathan Ake were also on target.

"We're proud of the way we're playing. When you get these results it is because individually they are brilliant," manager Guardiola said.

"Kevin, in these type of games when it is open up and down, is devastating as he can do what he wants. He's so important for us."

It was the joint biggest league defeat in Leeds' history and manager Marcelo Bielsa said: "We've never had a performance like this. There is no justification. I have to take responsibility."

Player ratings for the match can be seen in the picture gallery above.