Manchester City took advantage of Manchester United's draw at Liverpool to move top of the Premier League with a comfortable victory over Aston Villa.

City keeper Joe Hart saved well from Gabriel Agbonlahor early on before Mario Balotelli scored with a superb overhead kick to put his side in front.

A Stephen Warnock error let Adam Johnson slot in and Vincent Kompany then headed home Johnson's corner.

Warnock pulled one back but James Milner curled a fine fourth.

The former Villa midfielder refused to celebrate his goal but City's fans certainly did, fully away that it took their team two points clear of local rivals Manchester United at the summit.

By the time this match started, United had already drawn at Anfield in the early kick-off and the pressure was on City to capitalise.

And they did exactly that with a seventh win in eight games this season and an 11th in 12 against previously-unbeaten Villa.

Roberto Mancini left David Silva, Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri on the bench, so Balotelli was the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

That left the hosts - also without the injured Sergio Aguero - looking thin for attacking options early on and they struggled to unpick Villa's well-organised back four.

In fact, Villa should have taken the lead when Agbonlahor shrugged Joleon Lescott aside on the left touchline and burst into the box. Hart spread himself and Warnock's follow-up was deflected wide.

A let-off for City, indeed, but it proved to be Villa's only chance of the half and they were soon punished by Balotelli's brilliance.

The Italian saw one shot skim the post via a Milner flick and another palmed to safety before striking at the third time of asking.

Villa failed to clear a Johnson corner and after the ball was controlled by Micah Richards, Balotelli acrobatically delivered his fourth goal in four games.