Manchester City put the pressure back on Manchester United's struggling manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they cruised to victory with almost embarrassing ease at Old Trafford.
City's win may not have been as emphatic as Liverpool's magnificent 5-0 victory here in United's last home league game but the gulf between the sides was certainly as wide.
Solskjaer and United got off to the worst possible start when Eric Bailly turned Joao Cancelo's cross into his own net after seven minutes and it was only the brilliance of keeper David de Gea that somehow kept City at bay until the final seconds of the first half.
De Gea produced a string of brilliant saves, denying Cancelo twice as well as Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne, plus even saving from his own defender Victor Lindelof. However, Bernardo Silva took advantage of awful defending from Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw to steal in on another Cancelo cross at the far post.
United's only response was a volley from the subdued Cristiano Ronaldo. The second half was merely a formality as City moved down the gears but still looked more likely to score in what was another chastening afternoon for Manchester United and their manager.
Afterwards, Phil Foden said: "We had the game of our lives today. Everything went right, a lot of possession and chances. We dominated from start to finish.
"(What went right?) Possession, picking the right times and when to hurt them. Really pleased.
"We knew we could exploit the space in behind and we picked the right times to do it. My team-mates found me a few times in behind and on another day I could have finished the chances.
"We got in at half time and said we had to keep up the possession game and I thought we did that really well.
"Massive confidence going into the international break - important to get the win before that. Delighted.
"It was very important to get back to winning ways."
Need a VPN? Or seeking to switch? Then support Tribal Football by clicking here to sign up with our official partners NordVPN. Not only will you receive the best VPN experience, but also great discounts by signing up via Tribal Football. Thanks for your support!