Sergio Aguero marked his comeback with a goal as free-scoring Manchester City took their season’s tally to 99 goals for the season with a crushing 5-0 win against Blackburn Rovers.
Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko also struck twice as City eased to an ultimately comfortable victory in their FA Cup third-round replay at the Etihad Stadium.
City were lacklustre in the first half but Negredo’s first on the stroke of half-time changed the course of the game and a fourth-round date with Watford was secured.
Negredo’s quickfire double either side of the interval took his total for the campaign to 21, two ahead of Aguero.
Aguero, back in action after an eight-game absence with a calf injury, soon cut into the deficit, scoring within a minute of coming on to replace the Spaniard.
Dzeko also maintained his recent form with his brace taking him to 15 for the season.
The game lacked intensity but chances were still created by both sides in what proved an evenly-contested first half.
Dzeko spurned a number of them, first heading over the bar in the second minute and then missing the target again moments later after combining with Negredo.
Blackburn were lacking attacker Jordan Rhodes but the Championship side were determined and in Tom Cairney, recently signed from Hull, they had one of the game’s most influential midfielders.
Javi Garcia went close for City with a fizzing shot from outside the area which former England number one Paul Robinson parried, but Dzeko was again wasteful, shooting over twice more.
Much as they did when the sides met at Ewood Park earlier this month, City grabbed the lead just before half-time through Negredo. It came after a swift counter-attack by the hosts, with Fernandinho combining with Jesus Navas before clipping in a cross for Negredo to head home.
Negredo doubled the lead within two minutes of the restart as he raced onto a fine ball from newly introduced substitute Aleksandar Kolarov to clip a fine shot over the advancing Simon Eastwood whose first task, having replaced Robinson at half-time, was to pick the ball out of the net.
City stepped up the tempo and Dzeko made it 3-0 after 67 minutes with a quick first-time finish after a good run and cut-back by Navas.
That as good as made the result safe and manager Manuel Pellegrini decided to send on Aguero.
The Argentine had been on the field just 50 seconds when the ball fell to him in the box and he lashed a shot past Eastwood after 73 minutes. Six minutes later City were at it again as Dzeko swept home from another good Navas cross to complete the scoring.