By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero buried two goals each as defending champion Manchester City blanked Aston Villa, 5-0, Saturday at Etihad Stadium to grab the top spot in the Premier League standings.

The win moved Manchester City one point clear ahead of erstwhile leader and rival Manchester United, which lost earlier to Norwich City, 1-0.

David Silva gave City the early lead with a right-footed shot from close range to the bottom left corner past goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.

The host team then went into high gear in the second half after being awarded a penalty that Aguero booted in the 52nd minute.

Teves, whose car was impounded by police before the game, added a penalty goal in the 65th minute to give City a 3-0 lead.

City did not let up despite a huge lead as Aguero stormed into the area and finished inside the near post from a tight angle in the 67th minute.

In the 74th minute, Tevez completed the shutout win with a six-yard goal from an assist by Samir Nasri.

"I am very satisfied with this performance. In the first half we played well, created a lot of chances but we were too soft when we had chances to score. But we played well and this is the most important thing," said City manager Roberto Mancini.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart helped preserve the shutout win with two saves, including a spectacular block of Christian Benteke's header.

"Joe Hart made a brilliant save to keep out Christian Benteke's header. We were well in the game, we had a foothold in it and that is a big thing coming here," Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert said.

Meanwhile, Anthony Pilkington scored on a header in the 60th minute to carry Norwich City to a 1-0 upset win over Manchester United.

Pilkington, a former Old Trafford youth player, put the Canaries in front from an excellent Javier Garrido cross.

Manchester United played without Wayne Rooney due to tonsillitis and David De Gea who required dental work on his wisdom teeth.

In other games, Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur, 5-2; Liverpool downed Wigan Athletic, 3-0; Swansea City beat Newcastle United, 2-1; Southampton beat Queens Park Rangers, 3-1; Reading defeated Everton, 2-1; and West Bromwich Albion beat Chelsea, 2-1.

 

 

 

Manchester City Blanks Aston Villa, Grabs Premier League Top Spot