Everton 0-2 Manchester City: Samir Nasri scores brilliant chip after Aleksandar Kolarov's opener as Manuel Pellegrini's side continue to set the benchmark with flawless start

• Manchester City are the only side with three Premier League wins ahead of Liverpool vs Arsenal on Monday 
• Aleksandar Kolarov gave Manchester City the lead before the hour mark beating Tim Howard at the near post
• City's lead was doubled by a deft finish from Samir Nasri after an audacious flicked through ball from Yaya Toure
• Joe Hart enjoyed his third clean sheet of the season and City now have eight goals scored by seven players 

By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail

Published: 11:57 EST, 23 August 2015 | Updated: 04:18 EST, 24 August 2015

So now we know. This is the standard and it has been set by Manchester City. Forget the opening 3-0 win at a feeble West Brom and put aside even the subsequent dismantling of a distracted and below-par Chelsea last weekend.

This was City’s most impressive display of the season. This was the day they showed themselves to be expressive but also resilient; exciting but also efficient.

Three games in and Manuel Pellegrini’s team have three wins, eight goals and a hat-trick of clean sheets. 

Scroll down for video 

Aleksandar Kolarov (right) celebrates after scoring Manchester City's opener just inside the hour mark against Everton on Sunday

Kolarov beat Toffees keeper Tim Howard at the near post after a strong run down the left to keep his side's flawless start rolling

Samir Nasri shows his delight after his clever finish gave City a 2-0 lead and put the icing on the cake of another strong performance

Kolarov (left) is ecstatic after Frenchman Nasri (centre with David Silva) added to his earlier strike for another sky blues victory

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE 

 

EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard 6, Galloway  6.5 (Browning 47 mins, 6), Jagielka 7, Stones 7.5, Coleman 7, Barry 7, McCarthy 6, Cleverley 6 (Deulofeu 86'), Barkley 6.5, Kone 6.5 (Naismith 64', 6), Lukaku 6

Subs not used: Robles, Mirallas, Besic, , Osman,

MANCHESTER CITY 4-2-3-1: Hart 7, Sagna 6.5, Kompany 8, Mangala 7, Kolarov 7, Toure 6.5, Fernandinho 7.5, Navas 7, Sterling 7 (Nasri 76', 7), Silva 8.5 (Delph 89'), Aguero 6 (Bony 80')

Subs not used: Caballero, Denayer, Demichelis, Iheanacho

Goals: Kolarov 60, Nasri 89  

Booked: Mangala, Fernandinho, Nasri 

Attendance: 38,762

Referee: Anthony Taylor 7

Man of the Match: David Silva 

Ratings by Dominic King at Goodison Park 

The build-up to Samir Nasri's (8) goal started at halfway with David Silva (21) and followed a saved attempt from Jesus Navas (15) before the flick from Yaya Toure (42) and then the Frenchman's deft finish - CLICK HERE for statistics, heat maps and more in Sportsmail's brilliant Match Zone.

To repeat, this is where the bar is set and it is already worth wondering how many teams will be capable of coming here, to face a confident Everton team, and winning this way. At the end, City’s supporters applauded their team off but there were cheers from the Gladwys Street for the home team, too.

It had been that kind of game, competitive, engaging and rumbustious at times. Both teams had spells of dominance. 

Ultimately, though, the right team — the best team — won and Pellegrini will have noticed with satisfaction that his team’s eight goals have been scored by seven different players. Only Vincent Kompany, peculiarly, has two.

Here on Merseyside, chances and territory were shared evenly in the first half but City emerged for the second period to strike clinically and the goal owed as much to sheer will as anything else. That was its beauty.  

Romelu Lukaku gets one-on-one with Manchester City's England keeper Joe Hart but is rightly judged offside by the officials

Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley throws his arms in the air as he's brought down by his City counterpart Fernandinho, who is booked

Lukaku attempts to curve the ball around a sizeable Manchester City wall during the first half but agonisingly finds only the cross bar

Left back Aleksandar Kolarov did not have to run 30 yards down the line when he saw Raheem Sterling in possession with a little under half-an-hour left. Nobody would have blamed him had he not bombed on, but merely held his covering position.

As it was, though, the Serbian arrived at Sterling’s shoulder at lung-bursting pace, was rewarded with the ball and his subsequent cross shot fooled Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and found the far corner, passing between the American and his near post.

It was a goal born of steadily increasing pressure. Lean against the door long enough and it will open. It felt significant, too.

City had struck the frame of the goal moments earlier, but so had Everton just before half-time. As such, Kolarov’s strike gave the visitors a necessary foothold and they were able to see the game out, Samir Nasri making it 2-0 right at the end after scampering through an Everton defence that by then was looking tired. 

Everton's John Stones (left), who continues to be linked to Chelsea, makes a strong sliding challenge on City's Aleksandar Kolarov

Everton's James McCarthy (left) tries to keep tabs on City's playmaking maestro David Silva as the rain falls at Goodison Park

A powerful tussle again between Stones and Kolarov as the young Toffees defender nips in front of the Serbia left back to win a header

Everton will be disappointed. The second quarter had belonged to them. Romelu Lukaku had a ‘goal’ ruled out for offside and struck the top of the bar with a free-kick. Seamus Coleman also threatened Joe Hart’s goal.

And in between the two City goals, Roberto Martinez’s team enjoyed a decent 10-minute spell, a period that saw Gareth Barry head goalwards only to see Kompany clear from under the bar.

Ultimately, though, Everton will have appreciated they were playing one of the best teams in the land, maybe the very best. That was why they should not think on this for too long, why their fans clapped them off in defeat.

The modern City are so powerful, so dextrous and so fresh — with many of their players free from summer tournaments this year — that there seems to be a new confidence about their football. 

Once again David Silva was their top player. Rarely has he played better. Equally, this was Sterling’s best performance since his £49million move from Liverpool. He was booed by the home crowd but it was his marker, Everton right back Coleman, who will have heard the ringing in his ears.

City began brightly and Howard saved well from Sergio Aguero twice in the opening stages. A Silva cross narrowly eluded Sterling’s toe after Arouna Kone had lost possession near to his own goal, while Silva himself made Howard work with a low shot.

City’s football was not always expansive but they have settled well into their formation this season and already look as though they will be devilishly hard to beat.

The worry for everybody else is that they are still buying players, still trying to improve their squad. This is the standard and before the end of the month it may rise a fraction higher. 

Sergio Aguero shoots under pressure from Everton's 19-year-old defender Brendan Galloway before his day is cut short though injury

Everton boss Roberto Martinez and Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini both find reason to issue first half instructions on Sunday

Ross Barkley finds some space in between Yaya Toure (left) and Vincent Kompany (right) to fire off a shot with his left foot

Cleverley pushes Kolarov to the byline before the Serbian finds a way past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard in the second half

With the goal-line just inches away, Kolarov decides to try his luck from an acute angle and is rewarded as City take the lead

Kolarov falls to the ground as his shot finds the back of the net and Howard (left) and Cleverley (centre) can only watch on

City players celebrate just before the hour mark as their perfect start to the Premier League season appeared to continue

Everton's Gareth Barry (from left), Stones, Phil Jagielka and Arouna Kone look dejected after their promising efforts aren't rewarded

Nasri, a 76th minute substitute for Sterling, meets a bouncing ball flicked cleverly through by City midfielder Toure

Howard attempts to make himself big but as Nasri's delicate touch connects with the ball he closes his eyes haplessly

After getting in behind the Everton defence with a perfectly timed run, Nasri keeps control of his shot to double City's lead

The ball floats as if in slow motion as Nasri's momentum takes him beyond Howard who, along with Stones (right) watches it into the net

Nasri has an anxious moment as he waits for his shot to sneak under the crossbar before City's celebrations could commence

Despite having a relatively strong game at the back, Stones (right) can only pick the ball out of the back of the net

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