Sergio Aguero was on target for City’s opening goal before he limped off before half-time, and Spurs were reduced to 10 men early in the second period when Danny Rose was sent off for tripping Edin Dzeko.

[comment] Sergio Aguero opens the scoring for City at White Hart Lane.[/comment]

Yaya Toure converted the resulting penalty, with Dzeko making it 3-0 before Etienne Capoue pulled one back for Tottenham. However, Stevan Jovetic and Vincent Kompany both added further goals to put City clear and claim a resounding win that leaves them a point clear at the summit.

Aston Villa v West Brom

Christian Benteke’s second-half penalty settled a remarkable West Midlands derby as Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to edge a seven-goal thriller against West Brom 4-3.

A Chris Brunt stunner and a Fabian Delph own goal inside the first nine minutes got the Baggies off to a flyer at Villa Park but the hosts replied quickly through Andreas Weimann, Leandro Bacuna and Delph.

Youssouf Mulumbu made it 3-3 at half-time but Benteke secured only Villa’s third Barclays Premier League home win of the season from the spot after the striker himself was fouled.

Chelsea v West Ham

Meanwhile, Chelsea were frustrated by West Ham in a goalless draw which saw Jose Mourinho’s men fall three points behind new leaders Man City.

Sunderland v Stoke

In the evening’s other game, Adam Johnson continued his mission to single-handedly fire Sunderland to safety as 10-man Stoke were dragged back into the mix.

The £10million England midfielder’s sixth goal in as many games secured a 1-0 win – the Black Cats’ first in the league in six attempts at the Stadium of Light – and in the process eased them out of the relegation zone for the first time since August.

Stoke finished the game with 10 men after midfielder Steven Nzonzi was sent off for a second bookable offence, although Ryan Shawcross looped a header against the bar with six minutes remaining.