Manchester City put the pressure back on Arsenal after a routine win over Leicester that cut the gap at the top to three points.
The defending champions had all but wrapped up the three points within the opening 25 minutes as goals from John Stones and an Erling Haaland brace put them in control. Pep Guardiola's side have hit top form in recent weeks and were brimming with confidence after their statement win against Bayern Munich in midweek.
Dean Smith was appointed as Leicester boss until the end of the season, but endured a baptism of fire that proved way too hot to handle. The Foxes remain firmly in the bottom three after losing for the eighth time in their last nine games.
City went into game management mode come the second 45 as the hauled off some of their key men, Haaland among them, with one eye clearly on their Champions League clash next week. It allowed Leicester to grow into the contest however and with 15 minutes remaining former City man Kelechi Iheanacho tapped home to give the visitors a glimmer of hope, before he later hit the post.
That was as good as it got for the Foxes however as City claimed victory. Here are five talking points from the blue half of Manchester.
1 A perfectly timed charge
Having previously been accused of messing about, Pep Guardiola has just seen his team win for the sixth league game on the bounce - their best winning run of the season thus far. Four losses in their opening 22 games allowed Arsenal to build up a notable lead at the top.
Now though, as we head into the business end of the season, City are purring and look as unstoppable as ever with May just weeks away. That is the month where silverware is handed out and the champions may have timed their title charge to perfection.
Whether it's in the cups or the league, City have dominated with Guardiola finally settling on a back four. The intricacies of his system are well tuned and, quietly, talk of the treble is gathering volume with the champions currently destroying everything in their path.
2 De Bruyne's century
It was seemingly fitting that he laid on Haaland to bring up his 100th assist in the Premier League. Since making his debut in September 2015 Christian Eriksen is the closest man to him on the assist list, but he's 38 behind.
De Bruyne has long been the heartbeat of this triumphant City side and continues to ooze class with his vision and distribution putting him amongst the greatest to ever play in the top flight. The dominance of the hosts allowed the Belgian to play on the front foot and having an ever willing runner in Haaland only makes his job easier. The pair are just one goal shy of equalling the Premier League record for goal combinations in a season.
By his own high standards, his goal return of seven will be below what he would've wanted, but his constant supply to his team-mates means, even when he's not hitting the net himself, he's more that contributing.
3 No new manager bounce
Smith's tenure at Norwich came to an end earlier this season with his fresh remit to keep Leicester in the top flight. If he had any hopes of the token three points that came from a new manager's first outing, he was sorely mistaken.
City didn't get the memo and his Foxes side were torn apart by the champions, chasing a third straight league title. Leicester haven't won since February and they offered little at the Etihad - their best moments coming in the latter stages of the contest, at which point the hosts had hauled off the majority of their main men.
The former Aston Villa boss has little time to get his ideas across and must instead focus on quickly getting a tune out of a squad that are desperately underperforming. James Maddison was a bright spark and Smith will take encouragement from their final 20 minutes, when they showed more ambition.
4 Stones role highlighted
The centre-half turned hybrid full-back received huge praise from Guardiola recently when the Catalan stated that Kyle Walker, for so long a stalwart a right-back, couldn't offer what Stones is currently producing.
He's being asked to come inside, playing sometimes as a midfielder, which is playing perfectly into his strengths of having the ball at his feet. Stones is operating in a very comfortable backline which is allowing him to play with a certain swagger, again on show on Saturday night.
His confidence levels will only have increased at the Etihad after he showed a goalscoring touch by hammering in a volley from 20 yards to open the scoring early on. A strike that any of his forward team-mates would've been proud of, before his half-time substitution underlined how keen Guardiola is to keep him fit.
5 Haaland closes on record
The best goalscoring season in a 38-game campaign has now been equalled, leaving sights firmly set on the 42-game record currently shared by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. Mohamed Salah light up the Premier League when he notched 32 times in his debut campaign for Liverpool.
Haaland, whose brace on the opening weekend spelt ominous signs, bagged another two as City took Leicester to the cleaners, meaning he's now scored 32 times in the league - albeit he was denied another hat-trick by a half-time withdrawal. It leaves him just two shy of the ultimate record, which for much of the season has looked destined to go.
The Norwegian has seemingly smashed every record there is to break in his first year in England. Now, after a prolific period with Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Haaland will be hoping his goals can lead to silverware with City primed for a three-trophy year.
