I’ll leave you with Daniel Taylor’s match report from the Etihad Stadium. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.

As for Arsenal, they remain in sixth place, a point behind Ole’s boys, three behind the Sarriball Art Experiment. They just aren’t capable of matching the top sides for 90 minutes. They still make too many mistakes at the back and Unai Emery will feel that a lot of his players aren’t good enough. Emery needs time. He’s done well to get them so close to the top four, but he’s working with a very unbalanced squad.

Sergio Aguero, who now has 10 hat-tricks in the Premier League, is asked if his third goal was handball. “It’s important to win. The other day I scored early, 25 seconds, and we lose. Today I am very happy. I think the third goal was off my chest. Now I see on TV it was a handball.”

Fernandinho speaks! “We wanted to go back on track. Playing good football and today we deserved it. We scored another early goal and I think we deserved the win. They are very dangerous on set-pieces. I think we didn’t drop the level. We maintained our rhythm and we scored a second goal and in the second half we controlled the game.”

An odd game. Manchester City flew out of the traps. Sergio Aguero scored within a minute, then they lost their way and gave Arsenal an equaliser. It looked ropey for a while. Arsenal even sensed they were in with a chance of stealing the points. But they couldn’t contend with a finisher of Aguero’s class. The striker’s hat-trick settled City down and ensured they were comfortable long before the final whistle. The champions go two points behind Liverpool, who will be under pressure when they travel to West Ham tomorrow night. If Liverpool lose or draw at the London Stadium, City would go top with a win against Everton on Wednesday. Are you ready for all the twists and turns to come?

That’s your lot. City go two points behind Liverpool with a routine win, albeit having played a game more.

90 min: Mahrez bends one wide from 20 yards. There will be three added minutes.

88 min: Riyad Mahrez replaces the excellent Kevin de Bruyne.

87 min: Now Sterling goes on a solo power surge, but Guendouzi blocks his shot. Moments later De Bruyne goes down with what appears to be cramp. His afternoon’s over, but just because of fatigue.

85 min: With options left and right, Jesus decides to go alone. He ignores Sterling, who was free to his right, and scuffs straight at Leno. You can tell he wants to make the most of his brief cameo, but I think he’d have impressed Guardiola more by passing to Sterling.

82 min: There’s more chance of a fourth for City than a second for Arsenal. Now David Silva has a go from the edge of the area, but Leno pushes his firm drive away.

81 min: Gabriel Jesus replaces Sergio Aguero, City’s hat-trick hero. De Bruyne, still full of mischievous intent, breaks down the right. His low ball towards Sterling’s cleared.

79 min: Konstantinos Mavropanos replaces Shkodran Mustafi, which means we won’t be seeing Mesut Ozil today. Arsenal have used up their substitutes. It’s abundantly clear that Emery has no use for Ozil.

78 min: Arsenal have run out of steam. Have they had a shot in the second half? I can’t remember a shot from them in the second half. That’s a shame - they played well before going 2-1 down on the stroke of half-time.

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76 min: A free-kick to City deep on the left. De Bruyne whips it in and it’s headed to Aguero, who’s lurking unmarked on the edge of the area. He’s on to the loose ball in a flash and jabs a shot goalwards, only for Leno to make a smart stop. Arsenal survive. However, Mustafi has gone down with an injury. Unai Emery won’t want to lose another centre-back.

74 min: “Lichtsteiner is rubbish,” Caleb Jones roars. “Passion is no substitute for skill.Moreover maybe buying over the hill defenders from a joke league to start half your games isn’t a good plan. Beepty beep.”

He’s not got the pace to start in this kind of game, sadly. He was a very effective player for Juventus for many years, but it seems the Italians knew what they were doing when they let him leave.

71 min: Barring a City collapse, which looks unlikely, thoughts are turning to whether Liverpool can hold their nerve against West Ham tomorrow. It won’t be straightforward. Probably. West Ham’s form is poor, but they’ve been decent against the big sides at home under Manuel Pellegrini.

68 min: “How would Neville know about keepers?” says James Robinson says. “Playing in front of Schmeichel probably.”

How does that make him an expert on goalkeeping technique?

67 min: Arsenal make a double change, Denis Suarez replacing Sead Kolasinac, Aaron Ramsey on for Alex Iwobi. Suarez used to be at City, you know.

66 min: Every City goal has originated down the left. They’ve certainly identified Lichtsteiner as Arsenal’s weak link. Correction: one of Arsenal’s weakest weak links. “Agüero has scored a perfect hat-trick, head, leg and arm,” Kari Tulinius says.

65 min: Gundogan bursts into the Arsenal area and falls over a nothing challenge from Mustafi. He’s booked for diving.

63 min: Gary Neville is banging on about goalkeepers parrying shots instead of catching them. How would he know?

With Arsenal’s defenders looking leggy, Raheem Sterling finds space on the edge of the area, scoots down the outside and drives the ball into the six-yard box. It goes past Leno and reaches the sliding Aguero. But after the cross hits the striker’s midriff, the final touch appears to come off the striker’s left arm. Unable to stop the ball from trickling over the line, Arsenal appeal in vain for handball, but it would have been tough for Martin Atkinson to spot it. Plus, it would be tough to argue it was deliberate handball from Aguero. If it was handball at all.

So it’s just as well that City have Aguero up front, though there’s a large dollop of controversy about the way he’s completed his hat-trick.

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59 min: Arsenal probe down the left, but Kolasinac’s low ball’s too close to Ederson. But that’s a minor warning for City, a message they they need to be more ruthless at the other end. Arsenal definitely have an equaliser in them.

56 min: City are playing some good stuff. With Arsenal exerting little pressure in midfield, they move through too easily, flicking the ball with giddy abandon, Sterling slipping a pass through to De Bruyne, who only has Leno to beat. But De Bruyne scuffs his shot at Leno, who saves with his feet.

56 min: Mustafi seems to be struggling with a knock. He’s wincing and clutching his leg.

53 min: With City pressing for a third, De Bruyne has another sighter from the edge of the area. He whips it with his right foot, hitting it so crisply and with such fine timing, and forces Leno to plunge low to his left to push the ball away. It comes to Sterling, who’s offside.

51 min: De Bruyne clips a shot straight at Leno from 20 yards. Leno almost spills it at David Silva’s feet, only to recover just in time.

48 min: Bernardo Silva scoops a dismal shot into the top tier from 25 yards. Useless. Retire.

46 min: City get the second half underway. “This match represents an almost perfect storm for Gary Neville on commentary,” Matt Dony says. “If City win, they’ll be very happy, and keeping up the chase for the league. Bad news for him. If Arsenal win, it would be an amazing result for them, leaving them ecstatic, AND strengthening Liverpool’s league position. Both bad news for Neville. If only Leeds could get involved somehow...”

A strange half comes to a close. City made a blistering start, took the lead and then entered panic mode after Laurent Koscielny’s equaliser. But Sergio Aguero’s second goal of the afternoon means they lead. This is fascinatingly poised.

45 min+1: Bernardo Silva strokes a pass through to De Bruyne on the right, but the Belgian’s low cross-shot’s neither here nor there, wide of the far post and too far in front of the sliding Sterling to reach.

45 min: There will be two added minutes.

After 10 minutes of struggle, this is a brilliant way for City to restore their lead. Sterling plays a pass back to Gundogan from the left and Lichtsteiner falls asleep. Gundogan instantly pops a pass over the Arsenal defence, leaving Sterling to cushion the ball across the face of goal for Aguero, who isn’t going to miss from two yards out! City have been wobbling, but their main striker has two and they’re in front again.

This is magnificent.

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42 min: City are beginning to lose the midfield battle, which isn’t surprising given that Fernandinho is playing in defence. Arsenal swamp them again and stream forward. Aubameyang’s played into space down the inside-right channel, but his shot’s deflected over. City deal with the corner.

40 min: Torreiera has been booked for chopping down De Bruyne during that City break.

39 min: This is very entertaining. Kolasinac has a dig from the edge of the City area, stinging Ederson’s palms. Then Torreira sees a powerful drive blocked. Lacazette almost makes something from nothing and then City attack, De Bruyne leading a counter. You attack, we attack. Eventually Arsenal quell the danger. They’re playing on City’s anxiety.

37 min: David Silva wriggles down the left, burrowing into one of his favourite positions, and digs a cross into the middle. Leno claws the ball away unconvincingly and is lucky to see it land at the feet of Monreal, who mops up.

35 min: When Arsenal win possession just inside their half, Lacazette shrugs off Bernardo Silva, looks up and slides a wonderful pass towards Aubameyang, who’s peeled into enviable space. He has the pace to beat his markers, who are grateful to see Ederson storm from his area and boot the ball away.

32 min: Arsenal fancy their chances in attack. A cross from the right’s just too high for Aubameyang at the near post. But the visitors reckon they can find holes in this City defence. They also know Aubameyang and Lacazette are good enough to take advantage if they get a sight of goal.