It is beginning to feel like a procession. This was the 16th league win in a row for Manchester City and they are now 14 points clear and, as far as the chasing pack is concerned, practically out of sight. They have pummelled all of England’s other Champions League representatives now, with an aggregate score of 12-2, and it would not be too presumptuous if the people who arrange these things started looking at provisional dates for the open-top bus parade next May. And, yes, it is still more than a week until Christmas.

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Pep Guardiola will try to urge caution, of course, because that is what managers do in these circumstances. But he is simply being courteous and trying to guard against complacency when he argues it is too early to talk that way. Guardiola was not even asked in his press conference whether he felt the title race was over. That question already feels like old hat and he was too busy anyway eulogising about Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance. City’s manager gave the impression he could have spoken on that subject all night.

The latest rout would have been even more emphatic had it not been for Gabriel Jesus striking a penalty against the post, at 2-0, and a dispiriting day for Spurs would have been considerably worse if Harry Kane and Dele Alli had been properly punished for a pair of studs-up challenges, both of which warranted red cards. Kane was shown only a yellow for going over the top on Sterling and Alli, who was substituted after another listless performance, was even luckier to get away with a potential leg-breaker on De Bruyne.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kevin De Bruyne feels the force of a studs up challenge from Dele Alli for which he was lucky not to be sent off. Photograph: Manchester City FC/Man City via Getty Images

Alli’s challenge smacked of frustration but De Bruyne chose the best form of retaliation, running away in the next City attack to lash a left-foot strike past Hugo Lloris for the second goal. The same player could later be seen chipping the ball over Danny Rose then running round the other side of his opponent to retrieve it. Guardiola eulogised about the Belgian in the way he used to talk about Messi, Xavi, Iniesta et al and, on this evidence, none of the superlatives felt out of place. It was a joy to watch. De Bruyne is establishing himself as an authentic superstar and perhaps the scariest part for City’s opponents is that, aged 26, he still appears to be improving.

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For Spurs, it was a galling reminder of how far they have fallen behind, now an astonishing 21 points off the top, and Christian Eriksen’s left-foot finish in stoppage time was largely an irrelevance. Mauricio Pochettino’s team had a 20-minute spell after half-time when they tested the theory that City’s vulnerability is in the centre of their defence. That apart, however, it was difficult to keep count of the number of times Lloris saved the visitors or Sterling, such an erratic finisher, let them off with his wastefulness.

No matter. Sterling might have missed a couple of open goals but he still scored twice on a day when City were without David Silva but quickly asserted their authority through Ilkay Gündogan’s 14th-minute goal and can now add Spurs to Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea as teams they have outplayed this season. They have won every league game since 21 August and their next three opponents – Bournemouth, Newcastle and Crystal Palace – are all in the bottom seven.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kevin De Bruyne rifles in Manchester City’s second goal to cap a sublime individual display. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Silva was missing because of “personal reasons” and there is a reasonable argument that City are never quite as stylish in possession without the man who knits it altogether. Not here, though. Leroy Sané, in particular, seemed intent on making it a challenging afternoon for Kieran Trippier, the Spurs right-back. Gündogan fitted in seamlessly. De Bruyne advanced an already solid case that he ought to be recognised as the outstanding performer in the league and perhaps one day Fernandinho, a player who gets only a sliver of the credit he deserves, might start getting some more acclaim. Agüero was clearly upset to be substituted before the hour-mark, throwing down his gloves, but who can argue with Guardiola’s decision-making right now?

At one point early on, De Bruyne could be seen misplacing a relatively straightforward pass and it was such a rarity it felt necessary to check with the next person that it had really happened. He did it only once, mind.

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De Bruyne scolded himself for his carelessness and soon afterwards there was a lovely moment when he was running with the ball and Alli came in to challenge him. De Bruyne dragged his studs on the ball to slow it down, then glided away – all in one movement. Once again, City broke forward, as they did so many times after Gündogan’s stooping header had given them a 14th-minute lead from Sané’s corner.

Guardiola’s players were so dominant for the rest of the opening 45 minutes they must have felt aggrieved not to have inflicted any more damage before half-time. There was an improvement from Spurs but their hopes were all but extinguished after De Bruyne made it 2-0 at the end of brilliant counterattacking move from the edge of their own penalty area. Sané set up Sterling at the far post to turn in the third goal and Spurs were in disarray by the time Eric Dier’s mistake let the same player in again. Sterling, who never seems to allow his misses to affect his confidence, pushed the ball through Lloris’s legs and practically walked it into the net. And City, champions-in-waiting, march on.