With their 8-0 win over Watford, Manchester City may not have matched the record 9-0 Premier League victory of their biggest rivals Manchester United, but they still managed a competition first.
The champions went into a 5-0 lead by the 18th minute at the Etihad Stadium, the fastest that a club had taken such a large advantage in a Premier League match.
Until Saturday, the record had been held by Blackburn Rovers, who went 5-0 up against Sheffield Wednesday inside the opening 24 minutes early in the 1997/98 season, before triumphing 7-2.
It was the 10th time overall that a side had scored five times in the first half of a Premier League match. No team have managed six first-half goals.
Quickest teams to 5-0 leads
| Date | Mins | Team | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/09/2019 | 18 | Man City | Watford |
| 25/08/1997 | 24 | Blackburn | Sheff Wed |
| 07/05/2003 | 26 | Arsenal | Southampton |
| 16/11/1996 | 35 | Everton | Southampton |
| 25/02/2001 | 38 | Man Utd | Arsenal |
| 16/05/2015 | 38 | Southampton | Aston Villa |
While Man City's final tally fell one goal shy of Man Utd's record, claimed in 1995 against Ipswich Town, the victory was the seventh time a Premier League side had claimed an eight-goal winning margin.
The most recent occasion was Southampton's 8-0 win over Sunderland five years ago.
Biggest winning margins
| Date | Team | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/03/1995 | Man Utd | Ipswich | 9-0 |
| 19/09/1999 | Newcastle | Sheff Wed | 8-0 |
| 22/11/2009 | Spurs | Wigan | 9-1 |
| 09/05/2010 | Chelsea | Wigan | 8-0 |
| 23/12/2012 | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 8-0 |
| 18/10/2014 | Southampton | Sunderland | 8-0 |
| 21/09/2019 | Man City | Watford | 8-0 |