Mario Balotelli scored a hat-trick as Manchester City went top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win against Aston Villa at Eastlands.

Balotelli's two penalties and a tap-in did not represent the most spectacular treble ever scored, but they accurately reflected the gulf between the two sides as City eased past a desperately poor Villa outfit.

Joleon Lescott headed City's other goal, as they went to the Premier League's summit ahead of neighbours Manchester United's game at Birmingham City on Tuesday night.

Roberto Mancini made five changes, using his enviable squad depth. In came Balotelli, Adam Johnson, Patrick Vieira, Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta, replacing Carlos Tevez, James Milner, Gareth Barry, Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov.

Their powerful performance is further vindication of Mancini, a coach who is never more than four bad results from the sack despite turning his team into genuine title contenders.

No such optimism at Villa, who have lost six of their last seven and are lurching towards the bottom three.

On this evidence, Gerard Houllier's men are certainly not too good to go down, and serious concerns are starting to creep in whether they are too bad to stay up.

They had no energy, no drive and found themselves outclassed in every department - physical, mental and technical.

Martin O'Neill left Villa at the start of the season following a row over the sale to City of Milner, and it seems his fears over the club's lack of strength were well-founded.

Houllier has been brought in to nurture some promising academy products, but the youngsters are getting blown out of the water.

The first goal came in the eighth minute when Eric Lichaj, inexplicably preferred to Richard Dunne, brought Balotelli down with a deeply crass challenge.

Lichaj let the striker get goal-side of him then dragged him to the floor by putting his arms around him. The prolonged foul started on the edge of the box and continued several yards inside, giving referee Michael Oliver little option but to point to the spot.

Balotelli converted the spot-kick in typically eventful style, stopping his run-up as he reached the ball, then rolling the ball impudently into the right corner as Brad Friedel dived the other way.

The second goal on 13 minutes was more contentious. Lescott glanced an Adam Johnson corner goalwards and Barry Bannan, standing on the far post, headed it away.

However, referee Michael Oliver and his assistants deemed the ball to have crossed the line - replays suggested Bannan was a touch unlucky.

David Silva excelled throughout, drifting inside frequently from his usual station on the left flank, and it was no surprise when he created the third.

The Spaniard weaved past a challenge inside the box on 27 minutes and fired a low shot that Friedel could only parry into the path of Balotelli, who converted a simple tap-in.

Another dismal tackle led to the fourth goal 10 minutes into the second half.

This time Johnson was too sharp for the weary Marc Albrighton, who tripped the winger as he nipped the ball past him on the right side of the box.

Balotelli took his scoring record to eight goals in 10 games with a second penalty that was almost a carbon copy of the first - he stopped as he reached the ball and finished in the right side of the goal as Friedel went the other way - flopping to the ground in thoroughly resigned fashion.