Manchester City vs Cardiff result: Kevin De Bruyne on song as City knock Liverpool off the top

Manchester City 2-0 Cardiff: City could – perhaps should – have won by more but still find themselves in the driving seat with six games remaining

Kevin De Bruyne fires in City’s opener from a tight angle (Getty)

The champions are back on their throne, for now. At the start of a critical month in this cat-and-mouse Premier League title race, Manchester City climbed above Liverpool once more, moving a point clear at the summit with a routine 2-0 win over Cardiff City.

Neil Warnock’s relegation-threatened side remain five points from safety but, unlike after their defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, they can have no complaints. Though desperate for points, they failed to lay a glove on their commanding hosts.

City could – perhaps should – have won by more but still find themselves in the driving seat with six games remaining, and that despite being unable to rely on their best player for much of the campaign.

This was a return to form for Kevin de Bruyne, who opened the scoring with his first league goal of the calendar year. Leroy Sané’s 15th in all competitions doubled the lead before half-time.

Were it not for a spate of inspired saves by Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, the margin would have been far wider. The only disappointment for Pep Guardiola will be his side’s failure to boost their goal difference.

Though goal difference will not matter so long as City keep collecting points. This lead may only last a few days. Liverpool can return to the top again on Friday night, with City not in league action this weekend. But after this eighth straight win, the champions continue to set a frightening pace. Despite Warnock threatening to field an Under-23s side for this fixture, Cardiff made just one change. It was instead Guardiola who gave youth a chance by trusting 18-year-old Phil Foden with his first Premier League start.

City started quickly, with De Bruyne sliding the square ball across the face of Neil Etheridge’s goal after just 33 seconds, and it was not much longer before the Belgian had opened the scoring.

Aymeric Laporte’s through ball was sublime but it found De Bruyne at a narrow angle without much of the goal aim at. But Etheridge, expecting another square pass, had left a sliver of room at his near post. De Bruyne found it, his finish rising high and into the roof of the net.

Leroy Sane scores City's second of the night (Getty)

Already, this appeared to be the foregone conclusion Warnock had predicted. The Cardiff manager had spoken of getting this game out of the way to focus on “winnable” fixtures. The fact his players managed just one touch inside City’s penalty area in the first half showed why.

Gabriel Jesus’s rustiness in front of goal meant City had to wait to double their lead but he at least assisted the second when it eventually arrived on the cusp of half time. It was the Brazilian’s chested pass to the edge of area that Sane drove home, firing low and hard past Etheridge.

Given how one-sided the first half was, City could have been forgiven for tailing off in the second. Instead, they searched relentlessly for a third and would have found one if not for the heroics of Etheridge.

The Cardiff goalkeeper made five saves in the same number of minutes, denying Riyad Mahrez and Foden twice each and Sané once. He was powerless to prevent one Foden attempt from a John Stones flick-on but the ball bounced back off the post.

Such was City’s dominance, Cardiff’s only shot on target of the night, fired down Ederson’s throat by Oumar Niasse, provoked ironic celebrations in the away end. Once again, the Etihad had bore witness to aching gulf in quality between those at the top of this division and the bottom.

City’s April is a testing one. Three of their next four league games are away from home. One of them is a trip to Old Trafford. Tottenham are the sole visitors to the Etihad in that time. This month will go a long way to deciding whether they defend their title. This was an excellent start to it.