Long-time friends Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa watched with contrasting emotions from the touchline as City inflicted the biggest defeat Leeds have ever suffered in the competition.
Guardiola’s City were sensational, with Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones and Nathan Ake joining De Bruyne on the scoresheet, City passing the 500-goal mark in the Premier League under their Spanish boss.
The pick of the goals was De Bruyne’s second and City’s fifth, as his land-to-air missile from 25 yards left Illan Meslier helpless, with City surging four points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table.
Foden made the eighth-minute breakthrough when he finished off from the edge of the penalty area after the rampaging Rodri was beaten in a dash to the ball by Leeds goalkeeper Meslier.
By that stage Bernardo Silva had already missed a sitter from in front of an open goal. Leeds were in disarray and trailed 2-0 inside 13 minutes when Grealish headed in Riyad Mahrez’s whipped cross from the right, his first headed goal in his Premier League career.
De Bruyne made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute, a classy finish on his left foot from Rodri’s through ball. Foden then shot fractionally wide of the right post, with Meslier beaten, before seeing another shot blocked by Luke Ayling, as City looked to boost their goal difference.
Mahrez gave City a fourth in the 49th minute, a deflection off Junior Firpo diverting the Algerian’s skidding shot wide of the unlucky Meslier and into the left corner.
Foden prodded in from Mahrez’s pass but was inches offside; however, a fifth City goal arrived emphatically in the 62nd minute when De Bruyne smashed high and handsome into the net from distance.
Stones lashed in the sixth and fellow defender Ake headed goal number seven as City outclassed despairing visitors.
