Sergio Aguero scored a hat trick in Manchester City's 6-1 rout of Huddersfield Town, opening a three-point lead over Manchester United, who were stunned at Brighton later on Sunday.
Huddersfield were never likely to replicate last season's feat of stopping City scoring at home. After riding their luck for 25 minutes, keeper Ederson found Aguero with a perfect through ball and the Argentine kept his cool to finish cleverly.
Unusually, coach Pep Guardiola opted to start Gabriel Jesus alongside Aguero. The Brazilian also scored after exchanging passes with Benjamin Mendy and firing past Ben Hamer, who then fumbled a cross to gift Aguero his second and City's third in a blistering 10-minute spell before half-time.
Although Jon Stankovic pulled a goal back before the interval, there was no respite as David Silva marked his 250th Premier League game with a perfect free kick. Aguero flicked home his third on 75 minutes for his 13th City hat trick, and Terence Kongolo put through his own net late on -- the ninth goal Huddersfield have conceded in two games.
City went top of the table with six points from two games, with their plus-7 goal difference better than the others who have earned two wins from two -- Chelsea, Watford, Tottenham and Bournemouth. Either Liverpool or Crystal Palace can join their ranks with a win on Monday.
Already three points back are Manchester United, whose troubled start to the season took an unexpected twist as they lost limply 3-2 at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Woeful defending led to two Brighton goals in two first-half minutes as Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy outsmarted United's £117 million back four to demonstrate why manager Jose Mourinho had sought to upgrade it.
Eric Bailly was particularly exposed and, having conceded a needless corner that led to Duffy's first Premier League goal, he blundered in to foul Pascal Gross, who put away the penalty via David de Gea's leg on the stroke of half-time.
Although Romelu Lukaku had earlier reduced the deficit with a trademark header, United looked ill-equipped to mount a comeback and Paul Pogba's injury-time penalty, after Marouane Fellaini was brought down, made the scoreline closer than the match.
Second-half strikes from skipper Troy Deeney and Will Hughes gave Watford an impressive 3-1 win at Burnley.
Former Burnley forward Andre Gray opened the scoring in the third minute with a superbly taken volley from a fine Deeney cross from the right flank.
Three minutes later, though, Burnley got back on level terms when James Tarkowski rose well at the back post to head in a Johann Berg Gudmundsson corner.
After the break, Deeney drove home in the 48th minute after being found in the box by Abdoulaye Doucoure then a terrible giveaway by Burnley defender Matt Lowton to Will Hughes resulted in the Watford midfielder firing past Joe Hart with a brilliant left-foot strike.
Source: espn.co.uk