Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City top the table with Southampton triumph

Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City top the table with Southampton triumph 

Raheem Sterling scored twice and Sergio Aguero became the ninth player to reach 150 English Premier League goals as Manchester City powered back to the top of the standings by crushing Southampton 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday (NZT).

And Alvaro Morata also found the net twice as unbeaten Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 to move to second on the table, two points behind the league leaders.

City needed only five minutes to take the lead with an own-goal from Wesley Hoedt following a neat move involving Aguero, David Silva and Leroy Sane.

Sterling laid on the second for Aguero six minutes later and it wasn't long before it was 3-0, Sterling chipping over a cross and the ball falling invitingly for Silva to lash home.

Southampton, without a victory in six league games, pulled a goal back in the 29th minute when Danny Ings was brought down in the box and picked himself up to stroke the penalty past goalkeeper Ederson.

City restored its three-goal cushion on the stroke of halftime with Aguero taking advantage of a mistake by Cedric Soares and crossing for Sterling to score his fifth league goal of the season.

Sterling added his second of the game midway through the second half before Sane completed the rout in stoppage time.

Morata continued his recent resurgence with two goals and fellow Spaniard Pedro added a third to inspire Chelsea to their 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace.

Unbeaten Chelsea made a slow start but Morata cheered the Stamford Bridge crowd by putting his team in front from close range in the 32nd minute after pouncing on a cross by Pedro.

Roy Hodgson's Palace, beaten in its previous five league games, equalised early in the second half when James McArthur sent Andros Townsend racing clear and he slammed a ferocious right-foot shot into the net.

Chelsea reacted by bringing on dangerman Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic for Willian and Ross Barkley, and within minutes the home team was back in front in the London derby.

Hazard took a free kick on the right and the ball eluded several players in the penalty box before reaching the unmarked Morata at the back post, and he struck his fourth goal in his last four league games.

Pedro added the third goal from a left-wing cross by another Spaniard, Marcos Alonso, in the 70th.