Sergio Aguero fires his way into the history books as Manchester City hammer Aston Villa

A magnificent afternoon for Manchester City, but a miserable one for Aston Villa and, perhaps, for the man who could have become their manager. Thierry Henry was approached before Dean Smith was appointed. He was targeted in a different way as Sergio Aguero overhauled his record of 175 Premier League goals with a hat-trick. Kevin de Bruyne’s brace of assists took him to 14 for the campaign, only six behind Henry’s divisional record of 20. He is being stripped of his distinctions.

It was not the most famous 6-1 win in City’s last decade but they demolished Villa, leaving their victims in the relegation zone and damaging their goal difference in the process. Pep Guardiola’s men returned to second place and suggested that, if this is a dress rehearsal for the Carabao Cup final, the Wembley showpiece could be a one-sided affair. Villa’s defensive deficiencies were exposed in a way that indicated the watching Pepe Reina could be busy when he completes his move to the Midlands.

If Reina, whose Premier League debut came in 2005, represents a blast from the division’s past, Aguero has made history. He scored twice in a cameo of a debut against Swansea in 2011. Less than nine years later, he passed Henry with a trademark goal, ploughing away from three defenders before burying a shot in the corner. The precision of finish and the low centre of gravity offered reminders of why Cesar Luis Menotti, Argentina’s 1978 World Cup-winning manager, has long compared him to Romario. When he completed his 12th Premier League hat-trick, he drew level with Frank Lampard on 177 goals in the division. Only Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole are ahead of Aguero now. Shearer’s divisional record of 11 was surpassed.

Aguero finds himself in the company of the greats. He had drawn level with Henry in emphatic, impressive fashion with a rasping, rising shot. Perhaps Orjan Nyland ought to have saved it, but it represented a chastening first start at this level for the Norwegian, who had to retrieve the ball from his net four times before half-time; some of the home fans were heading for the exits after Aguero scored the third. In the goalkeeper’s defence, Villa scarcely had a defence. City cut through them at ease, and gifts, such as the way Kortney Hause gave the ball away for the sixth, made it all too easy.

City have had a magnificent week, but in contrasting fashion. If they illustrated the merit of playing with no strikers when they eviscerated Manchester United on Tuesday, they had the benefits of selecting one of the most prolific of all. Aguero was involved in their first three goals. Gabriel Jesus, who also started but on the left wing, added the fourth goal from a trademark De Bruyne assist, a low curling cross from the right. But for a goal-line clearance from Tyrone Mings and a glaring miss, he would have added others. The Brazilian could have had a hat-trick of his own but his finishing is not always Aguero-esque.

On the day, he was outscored by Riyad Mahrez, the architect of a rout. For the opener, he accepted Aguero’s pass, sashayed forward and beat Nyland at his near post. His second was a scruffy affair and a chastening moment for the Villa debutant Danny Drinkwater, who managed to meet Aguero’s cross but took too long to react. David Silva picked his pocket and Mahrez applied the finish. After four more City goals, Anwar El Ghazi added an injury-time penalty for Villa. To call it a consolation goal would be an exaggeration, however.