Manchester City moved to within three points of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

The Baggies were reduced to 10 men inside two minutes when referee Neil Swarbrick mistakenly dismissed Gareth McAuley after Craig Dawson had brought Wilfried Bony down as the last man.

Bony opened his account for the club with the first goal shortly before the half-hour mark, while further strikes from Fernando and David Silva wrapped up a straightforward victory for the champions.

Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during a one-sided encounter at the Etihad.

MAN CITY

Goal

Joe Hart: Could not have had a greater contrast from his midweek masterclass against Barcelona. Not a single save to make as he racked up his 100th Premier League clean sheet. (6/10)

Defence

Pablo Zabaleta: Pretty much played as an additional winger, with West Brom rarely breaking out of their own half. Always willing to overlap and helped Navas well down the right flank. (7/10)

Vincent Kompany: Has been questioned of late but enjoyed a very comfortable afternoon. West Brom posed City only one problem throughout, although Kompany may have been disappointed with Berahino having a chance from close range following a corner. (6/10)

Eliaquim Mangala: Like Kompany, had barely anything to do throughout. Involved in the second goal, although he was perhaps fortunate not to be penalised for a high foot. (6/10)

Gael Clichy: Like Zabaleta on the other flank, spent the vast majority of his time in the opposition half as City enjoyed utter domination. (7/10)

Midfield

Jesus Navas: A constant thorn in the side of West Brom's defence. His pace caused problems throughout and was a key element of City breaking down an organised and stubborn West Brom defence. (8/10)

Fernando: Got his side's second goal following a defensive error and had things all his own way in the middle of the park as City controlled possession. (7/10)

Frank Lampard: One of the easiest of his many matches in this division, but will be unhappy that he failed to get on the scoresheet having had three decent sights of goal. (7/10)

David Silva: The man of the match. Completely ran the show as City applied relentless pressure, creating a glut of chances and scoring himself with an opportunistic strike. (9/10)

Attack

Wilfried Bony: Opened his account for the club with an emphatic finish and went on to put in his best City performance to date. Also involved in the early sending-off having pounced on McAuley's poor back-pass. (8/10)

Sergio Aguero: A bright but ultimately frustrating performance for the Argentine. Seemed desperate to get on the scoresheet and had numerous chances to do so, but in the end was unable to beat Myhill. (7/10)

Substitutes

Stevan Jovetic: Heavily involved in the third goal, linking up with Clichy before his shot was turned home by Silva. (7/10)

Edin Dzeko: Replaced Bony with a little over 10 minutes remaining and curled one shot narrowly wide as City comfortably saw out the win. (6/10)

James Milner: Came on for Silva in the latter stages and didn't have much time to make an impact. (6/10)

WEST BROM

Goal

Boaz Myhill: In for the injured Foster and given a tough assignment first up. Made a string of saves to make the scoreline semi-respectable, but probably could have done better with the second. (6/10)

Defence

Craig Dawson: Should have been sent off after just two minutes, but Swarbrick dismissed McAuley instead. Perhaps McAuley was the lucky one considering what followed. (5/10)

Gareth McAuley: Mistakenly sent off in the opening exchanges, but had put Dawson in trouble with a poor pass that allowed Bony in. (5/10)

Jonas Olsson: At fault for the second goal with a poor clearance and found things tough against the relentless City pressure. (5/10)

Joleon Lescott: Moved into the middle of defence after the red card and did as well as could be expected against wave after wave of City attack. (5/10)

Midfield

Stephane Sessegnon: Barely got a sniff throughout as West Brom spent the vast majority of the match defending their own third. (5/10)

Darren Fletcher: Had to work extra hard after the sending-off and did his best to quell a bit of the pressure, but there was only so much he could do. (5/10)

Craig Gardner: Like Fletcher, was chasing shadows for much of the game as West Brom retreated into damage limitation mode early on. Put a good shift in, but it was all defensively. (5/10)

Chris Baird: Started in midfield but was switched to left-back after the red card. Was repeatedly skinned by Navas and would have been delighted to hear the final whistle. (5/10)

James Morrison: Had minimal influence on the game in an attacking sense, joining his teammates in battening down the hatches. (5/10)

Attack

Saido Berahino: A thankless task as he spent more time in his own half than the opposition's. Did get one chance, but somehow hit the bar from just a couple of yards out when he had to score. (4/10)

Substitutes

Victor Anichebe: First sub didn't come until the 84th minute, with West Brom begging for the final whistle by that point. (6/10)

Youssouf Mulumbu: Came on in the closing stages and had no time to make an impact. (6/10)