Manchester City were simply too good for rivals Manchester United as they ran out 4-1 winners at the Etihad on Sunday.

City remain six points clear of Liverpool having played one more game after a win that could have been larger had they taken their opportunities.

United were missing Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane, and the visitors looked second rate against Pep Guardiola's team.

Kevin De Bruyne kickstarted the scoring after five minutes when he was allowed to ghost into the box to finish Bernardo Silva's cutback.

Former City winger Jadon Sancho equalised for United with a delightful solo goal, skipping around two defenders before curling the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

It doesn't last long however as De Bruyne grabbed his second from a scramble which stemmed from Harry Maguire being beaten to a clearance by Phil Foden.

The reigning Premier League champions turned it up a notch in the second-half and eventually went ahead by two goals when Riyad Mahrez's half-volley deflected off Maguire to beat David De Gea.

Mahrez scored his second with 90 minutes on the clock, given after a long consultation with VAR.

"We let them run a lot in the first half, but we made an excellent performance," he said at his post-match press conference.

"I am so demanding but I know my limits and I know the players' limits and, [in the] second half, in all terms, the display was everything.

"I am the biggest critic of my team, but we played good in the second half.

"We felt from the first minute of the second half, we had the game in hand. Today the best thing we did, especially in the second half, was playing with the rhythm we have to play.

"When they decided to jump, we found players in the pockets. Today we did that really, really well."