Raheem Sterling scored twice and Sergio Aguero became the ninth player to reach 150 English Premier League goals as Manchester City powered back to the top of the standings by crushing Southampton 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
City needed only five minutes to take the lead with an own-goal from Wesley Hoedt following a neat move involving Aguero, David Silva and Leroy Sane.
Sterling laid on the second for Aguero six minutes later and it wasn't long before it was 3-0, Sterling chipping over a cross and the ball falling invitingly for Silva to lash home.
Southampton, without a victory in six league games, pulled a goal back in the 29th minute when Danny Ings was brought down in the box and picked himself up to stroke the penalty past goalkeeper Ederson.
City restored its three-goal cushion on the stroke of halftime with Aguero taking advantage of a mistake by Cedric Soares and crossing for Sterling to score his fifth league goal of the season.
Sterling added his second of the game midway through the second half before Sane completed the rout in stoppage time.
On Saturday, Arsenal manager Unai Emery is happy with his side's progress, but admits there is still work to do to match Liverpool's title challenge after a thrilling 1-1 draw between the sides at Emirates.
Alexandre Lacazette extended the Gunners unbeaten run to 14 games with an equaliser eight minutes from time to cancel out James Milner's opener.
It is the first time Emery has avoided defeat against a Premier League top six opponent having been handed a baptism of fire in losing to Manchester City and Chelsea in his first two matches in charge.
Alisson Becker spread himself well to block from Lacazette before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's deflected effort from the edge of the area flew just wide early on. Granit Xhaka fired too close to Alisson from a well-worked corner, but the Brazilian international was fortunate when he rushed from his goal and was beaten to a floated cross by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose header drifted inches wide.
However, Liverpool also had plenty of chances in a thrilling first-half that somehow lacked only goals.
A dubious offside decision denied Sadio Mane the opening goal and Virgil van Dijk twice should have scored when he was first repelled by Bernd Leno and then flicked a header against the post with the German 'keeper caught flapping.
Leno didn't get so lucky with his next mistake as he palmed Mane's dangerous cross back into the heart of the box and Milner drilled into the unguarded net.
However, Leno made amends with a fingertip stop to again deny Van Dijk and Liverpool a crucial second following a towering header from a corner.
Emery's decision to sacrifice Aubameyang rather than Lacazette with his substitutions was vindicated when the French international kept his composure to brilliantly curl into the far corner after being forced wide by Alisson.