Nottingham Forest had no answer to an in-form Erling Haaland at the Etihad, with the Norwegian striker bagging his second hat-trick inside a week for the champions.
Julian Alvarez added a brace for the home side who could even afford to leave Kevin De Bruyne on the bench until the 69th minute.
It was a sobering evening for Forest whose best chance of the game fell to Renan Lodi who should have hit the target with a header with the scoreline at 1-0.
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Here's what the national media said after the defeat:
BBC Sport
Erling Haaland scored his second hat-trick in as many games as rampant Manchester City outclassed newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.
After his 19-minute three-timer against Crystal Palace at the weekend, there was a comparatively pedestrian 26 between his first and last goals this evening.
Yet if the two games are combined, Haaland scored an incredible six times in an hour given the Norwegian was replaced six minutes before the end of the Palace game. It takes his overall tally for the season to nine.
Joao Cancelo added a fourth when he drove home Bernardo Silva's fine pass across the penalty area before Haaland's strike partner Julian Alvarez took centre stage.
Guardian
Haaland’s display was the latest exhibition of how he adds a different, frightening dimension to City. Nottingham Forest, fielding seven of Steve Cooper’s plethora of new additions, ended humbled by the lesson their hosts gave.
When Haaland wandered off on 68 minutes a raucous roar was his reward. To see the 6ft 3in predator retreating might have cheered Forest a little, except De Bruyne was his replacement. For the closing phase, Sergio Gómez, 21, and the 17‑year‑old Rico Lewis were each given a second City appearance. There was zero let‑up: Álvarez grabbed a second with minutes left.
Daily Mail
Haaland showed that he is too fast, too tall and his feet too quick for defenders. And better defenders than those lined up for Forest will find that out over the coming months.
As signings go, this is transformative for Guardiola and – amazingly, just a month into his City career and a month since some toyed with writing him off following the Community Shield – it is appearing difficult for the manager to find new ways of describing how good the No 9 is.
What he does do is take the jeopardy out of these home matches against smart opposition. Forest were not bad, they pinched possession on occasion and turned it over menacingly, but were punished in a way not everybody has been here in recent years. Crystal Palace came across the exact same problem at the weekend.
Independent
In an opening quarter-of-an-hour at the Etihad when every Forest player’s first touch was a clearance, Haaland’s was a goal. His lack of involvement in City’s long spells of possession was briefly a talking point after the only Premier League game in which he has drawn a blank so far, the 3-0 win over Bournemouth here earlier this month. Funnily enough, it hasn’t been mentioned much since. After all, does it really matter how many touches he has when he seems to make every one of them count?
What are your thoughts on Forest’s performance? Let us know in the comments section.
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