LIVERPOOL: Pep Guardiola suffered the largest league defeat of his managerial career as Manchester City slumped to a 4-0 loss against Everton on Sunday.
Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas put Everton in control at Goodison Park before teenager Tom Davies scored his first goal for the club and debutant Ademola Lookman completed the rout after coming on as an 89th minute substitute.
It was another chastening experience for City boss Guardiola, who wasn’t used to such humiliation in his trophy-laden spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The defeat was City’s fourth in their last eight league games and left them 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
Lukaku’s 12th goal of the season continued his rich vein of form and the Belgian striker was too hot for City’s error-prone defence to handle through a torrid afternoon for Guardiola and company.
As has been the case so often this season, Lukaku’s opener in the 34th minute showed up frailties in City’s defence and goalkeeping as Davies intercepted a Gael Clichy pass just inside the visitors’ half and found Mirallas sprinting into the City area.
With Yaya Toure slow to respond to the runner, and Nicolas Otamendi playing Everton on side from a deep position, Mirallas was able to pick out Lukaku, who finished with a clinical left-foot strike.
The opening goal had drawn an instant response from Guardiola’s team as Sergio Aguero came within a whisker of connecting with Kevin De Bruyne’s low cross just six yards from goal.
And Raheem Sterling, from a cleared City corner, just missed the home goal with a powerful half-volley from outside the area.
Although the game had been finally balanced, City had enjoyed the better chances, even before the opening goal.
After 11 minutes, Sterling failed with a strong penalty appeal after he went down under slight contact from goalkeeper Joel Robles as he appeared poised to score from another perfect cross from the excellent De Bruyne.
And the Everton keeper was again forced into action, with a strong block to thwart David Silva as the Spaniard looked set to convert yet another decisive pass from De Bruyne.
In first half stoppage-time, City almost snatched what would have been a deserved equaliser after Clichy’s left-wing cross found Bacary Sagna whose athletic leap allowed him to power a goal bound header which was nodded off the line by Davies.
Better was to come for Everton a minute into the second half when Lukaku sparked the move that led to the second goal, his through ball being touched by City defender John Stones into the path of Ross Barkley.
The England midfielder produced a superb pass for Mirallas whose equally excellent shot from 15 yards flew beyond the dive of Bravo.
As City struggled to gain a foothold, Silva’s free-kick found ex-Everton defender Stones, booed by his former supporters with every touch, who headed directly at Robles.
But for all their possession, City struggled to place Robles under pressure.
On a rare occasion that the home defence allowed Aguero too much space on the edge of their area, the Argentinian’s low shot was turned behind expertly by Robles.
Any lingering hope of a comeback evaporated in the 78th minute when Davies capped a brilliant midfield display with a deserved goal, his first for the club - the move having been started when he collected the ball in his own half.
Davies carried the ball half the length of the field, exchanged passes with Barkley and then lifted the ball over Bravo, with Lukaku ensuring the ball crept over the line.
Lookman, signed from Charlton this month, added a fourth goal in stoppage-time after Seamus Coleman had charged down a poor attempted clearance by Stones.
On Saturday night, Marcos Alonso proved an unexpected replacement for the absent Diego Costa as Chelsea won 3-0 at Leicester City on Saturday to consolidate their position atop the Premier League table.
The Brazil-born Spain international’s absence was quickly forgotten as Eden Hazard teed up Alonso to sweep Chelsea ahead in the sixth minute at the King Power Stadium.
Alonso struck six minutes into the second half as well, with a deflected shot, before Pedro Rodriguez headed in after Willian had been denied by Kasper Schmeichel.
Arsenal moved above Liverpool on goal difference after a pair of own goals helped them to victory at struggling Swansea.
Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, slamming home his fifth goal in five games after Mesut Ozil’s header hit Alfie Mawson.
Alex Iwobi drew own goals from Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton early in the second half before Alexis Sanchez sealed victory with a 73rd-minute volley that took his tally for the campaign to 14 goals.
Marco Silva had a more memorable league bow as Hull City manager, with Abel Hernandez scoring twice and Tyrone Mings putting through his own own goal as they came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1.
Sunderland slipped below Hull to 19th place after a dispiriting 3-1 home defeat by Stoke City, for whom Marko Arnautovic scored twice and Peter Crouch headed in his 99th Premier League goal.
West Ham United brushed off the absence of want-away star Dimitri Payet to sink Crystal Palace 3-0, goals by Sofiane Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini sandwiching a sensational Andy Carroll bicycle kick.
Combative midfielder Joey Barton marked his return to Burnley, after an ill-fated stint at Scottish giants Rangers, by scoring a 78th-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 home win over Southampton.
There were emotional scenes at Vicarage Road as Watford’s fans paid tribute to late former manager Graham Taylor, who died on Thursday aged 72, prior to their side’s goalless draw with Middlesbrough.