Kevin De Bruyne scored four goals as Manchester City overwhelmed Wolves 5-1 at Molineux to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League table and move within four points of the titleThe Belgian took just 24 minutes to complete his hat-trick, making Leander Dendoncker's early equaliser irrelevant, before adding a fourth goal in the second half
Raheem Sterling scored a fifth but this night belonged to one man
 It was a masterclass from the midfielder - his first-half triple all coming with his left foot - with the win restoring City's three-point advantage over Liverpool with two games to go
Pep Guardiola will not have been pleased to see Aymeric Laporte trudge off injured, adding to his side's personnel problems at the back
 However, with four points needed from their remaining games to guarantee top spot, this was a huge step towards retaining the title
It did not take long for City to underline their superiority
 Bernardo Silva threading the ball in behind the defence and De Bruyne passing his shot into the far corner of the net
 If there was a surprise it is that Wolves managed to find a quick-fire response of their own
Raul Jimenez led a swift counter-attack, feeding Pedro Neto in the left channel and the young forward squared the ball to the onrushing Dendoncker who beat Ederson with a low shot to the goalkeeper's left
 Molineux erupted and - briefly - the home side had hope
De Bruyne soon put a stop to that
 It was his clever dink towards Sterling that caused confusion in the Wolves defence and the Belgian was quick to latch onto the loose ball in the aftermath with his deflected shot finding the roof of Jose Sa's net
City were purring by that point and the third goal was the pick of the bunch - again with his left foot and this time an absolute rocket, arrowing into the net as he cut inside from the right
 The stadium was in shock, everyone aware they were witnessing greatness
What followed was anything but tepid even with City in control as Wolves continued to attack, leaving gaps at the back and causing problems through the livewire Chiquinho
 On his first start for the club, he almost won a penalty when Oleksandr Zinchenko lunged in
Sterling had the ball in the net early in the second half but was adjudged offside, while Wolves continued to push at the other end, finding space down the flanks
 Nobody else on the pitch seemed capable of what one man made look easy
 Enter De Bruyne again
Arriving late into the box to seize upon a City counter-attack, this time he did hit the ball with his right foot, once again coolly beating Sa and racing away towards the jubilant away end
 Four goals in a game
There was still time for Sterling to add a fifth from close range to seal the rout, while De Bruyne hit the post when going for his own fifth
 By then, Wolves' spirit had been broken
 Overwhelmed by one of the most outrageous individual performances of the season
This was the Kevin De Bruyne show
 The expected-goals total for City's seven shots in the first half at Molineux was just 0
52 - in other words, attempts from those positions would usually yield one goal every other game
 De Bruyne scored three inside 24 minutes
The first was measured into the corner, the second was a credit to his anticipation after some ingenuity to fashion the chance in the first place
 The third showcased the power in those boots of his, the ball flashing into the net to draw gasps from the crowd
Three different goals but all with his so-called weaker left foot
 He added a fourth with his right
 Nobody should be too surprised
 De Bruyne continues to deliver
 In a special City team, one soon to be bolstered by Erling Haaland, he is  special player
Wolves are back in action at Molineux on Sunday when they host already-relegated Norwich
 They finish up their season with a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield
Manchester City travel to West Ham on the same day, with the chance to strengthen their grip on the title before completing their campaign against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on the final day
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