City put a difficult week behind it as it cruised to a 3-1 victory over visiting Villa.

The build-up to the meeting at the Etihad Stadium was dominated by news of the Premier League accusing City of breaking more than 100 financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

Pep Guardiola, managing his 250th Premier League game, delivered an impassioned defence of his club while his players performed as the champion returned to winning ways after its loss at Tottenham last week.

Rodri's header, Ilkay Gundogan's tap-in and Riyad Mahrez's penalty had City 3-0 up by the break before Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Villa.

City comfortably closed the gap on Arsenal, which drew 1-1 with Brentford a day earlier, to three points before Thursday's (AEDT) crunch meeting between the top two.

Having jeered during the Premier League anthem, City's fans had something to cheer inside four minutes when Rodri headed in from Mahrez's corner.

Only a fine save from Emiliano Martinez prevented Gundogan – City's hero in the title-clinching comeback in last season's corresponding fixture – doubling the advantage.

Martinez was fortunate to be awarded a free-kick after a collision with Erling Haaland allowed Gundogan to arrow home.

A glut of City chances went begging but the result was all but ensured by half-time.

Gundogan got his goal after brilliant work from Haaland, with Mahrez slamming in from the spot after Jacob Ramsey fouled Jack Grealish.

Having replaced Haaland at half-time, Julian Alvarez teed up City's first second-half opening – Martinez denying Rodri a second.

Watkins marked his 100th Villa appearance by scoring in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time when he capitalised on Manuel Akanji's error.

It would prove nothing more than a consolation.

City went close to adding to the score through Alvarez and Mahrez – who blasted over from close range late on – as it clinched a 13th straight home league win over Villa.

Guardiola's 250th league game in charge of City featured some typically scintillating attacking play and ended in a typically convincing success.

He has won 184 of those 250 matches (73.6 per cent), with his City side scoring 621 goals in the competition and toppling countless records.

Comfortably up at half-time, Guardiola had the luxury of being able to take off City's star striker Haaland, who did appear to be nursing a thigh problem in the first half.

City fans will hope it was just a precaution with the match against Arsenal just around the corner, and Champions League fixtures ahead.