Manchester City moved top of the Premier League table for the first time since 25 November with a dominant 5-1 win over relegation-threatened Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Late goals from Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol made sure of the win to extend the Citizens’ unbeaten run to 27 games in all competitions.

Daiki Hashioka's own goal had given City the lead inside two minutes, with Mateo Kovacic’s stunning volley and Erling Haaland’s penalty adding to their tally in the second half.

Ross Barkley's late goal proved nothing more than a consolation, leaving Luton in 18th, one point below Nottingham Forest, as Pep Guardiola's side move two points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the league.

How the match unfolded

City made a perfect start as Erling Haaland acrobatically met Jeremy Doku’s blocked effort to volley home, but he would not be credited with the goal as it deflected in off the face of an unfortunate Hashioka, who has scored own goals in consecutive away games.

Thomas Kaminski, who had already made a great save to deny Haaland in the build-up to the early goal, kept his side in it with more big saves to deny Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes.

The Portugal international gave Luton another warning – he clipped the bottom of the far post with a low, fizzed effort before Kaminski was called into action again to keep out Kevin De Bruyne’s curler on the stroke of half-time.

The Citizens remained dominant in the second half, but it looked like their finishing touch had abandoned them, until the 63rd minute, as Julian Alvarez hung a brilliant cross to the edge of the box, and Kovacic volleyed in a superb finish to beat Kaminski.

Cauley Woodrow came off the bench to give City a scare just minutes later, as Fred Onyedinma dispossessed Gvardiol and set him up for a fierce shot which rattled Ederson’s crossbar.

Onyedinma then lunged in with a lazy challenge on Doku to give away a penalty, which Haaland coolly slotted into the bottom-left corner, but Luton still had some fight left in them, and Barkley pulled a goal back in the 81st minute with a drilled finish.

Doku restored City’s three-goal cushion with an inch-perfect finish into the bottom-right corner shortly after, and Gvardiol added to the emphatic win with a rifled effort into the back of the net in stoppage time.

Club reports

Man City report | Luton report

Match officials

Referee: John Brooks. Assistants: Lee Betts, Akil Howson. Fourth official: Darren Bond. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.