City held on for a first Premier League clean sheet of the season, while keeping defensive lynchpin Vincent Kompany in reserve on the bench, although they are likely to be without Nolito for three matches after he aimed a headbutt at Smith.
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England global Jack Wilshere, starting only his second Premier League game in over 12 months after joining Bournemouth on loan from Arsenal, gave the ball away and then fouled Gundogan in trying to retrieve possession.
No wonder De Bruyne was afforded a standing ovation by City fans when he was substituted late on.
Already they have scored 25 goals in the campaign and the manner of their play is earning widespread plaudits, but Guardiola will not allow his players to believe a game will be too easy. “You can see that every time they have the ball and when they defend as well”.
Further goals from Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan made the result emphatic for City, and Howe was critical of his defenders.
“We are lucky to have him and I hope he can enjoy playing his wonderful football with us”. But De Bruyne played his part.
An 86th-minute red card to Nolito, for motioning a head-butt on Adam Smith as they squared up, took the gloss off another impressive display by City under Pep Guardiola.
It was a miss Bournemouth would soon regret as their backline retreated once more in the face of the superlative De Bruyne, who found Iheanacho to return Sterling’s earlier favour. Instead of shooting, Iheanacho cut the ball back for Sterling to bundle home his finish.
City’s previous best start to a season was seven straight wins in 1897.
Guardiola also became only the second manager to start his career in the Premier League with five successive wins, the other three in the record run coming in the Champions League.
“Of course, we are going to try and win our League Cup game”.
Callum Wilson, who scored the victor in Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, was dropped from Howe’s starting line-up to make way for Jack Wilshere in a five-man midfield, and Howe admitted the Arsenal loanee had a tough afternoon.
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The midfielder joined City in June and is now witnessing first-hand the talent of Guardiola, who frequently thwarted Klopp and Dortmund’s Bundesliga ambitions during his time in charge of Bayern Munich.
