Sergio Aguero became the most prolific foreign goalscorer in English Premier League (EPL) history with a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed Aston Villa 6-1 to reclaim second place on Sunday.
The Argentine striker struck Manchester City’s third, fifth and sixth goals at Villa Park to take his league tally to 177.
This is two more than what Frenchman Thierry Henry managed for Arsenal, and is fourth on the all-time list alongside Frank Lampard.
Manchester City’s resounding victory, in which Riyad Mahrez also scored twice and Gabriel Jesus once, meant they moved above Leicester City.
They also trimmed Liverpool’s lead to 14 points, although Liverpool have played a game less.
Mahrez’s dribble and shot opened the scoring in the 18th minute and the Algerian struck again six minutes later.
Champions Manchester City’s slick football was too much for Aston Villa who had dropped into the relegation zone before kick-off, after Watford’s win at Bournemouth.
Aguero’s fierce strike from outside the area made it 3-0 in the 28th minute, before Jesus tapped in a fourth on the stroke of half-time after a stunning pass by Kevin De Bruyne.
A razor-sharp Aguero moved clear of Henry with a neat finish in the 58th minute.
He continued to torment a sorry home side by completing his 12th Premier League hat-trick in the 81st minute.
Aston Villa, who have fallen to third from bottom, did not manage a shot on target until they were awarded a stoppage-time penalty kick that was tucked away by Anwar El Ghazi.(Reuters/NAN)