Sergio Aguero's brace ended Pep Guardiola's worst run as a manager as Manchester City turned on the style with a 4-0 win at West Brom.
Aguero has been linked with a move away from City after being dropped for a Champions League tie at Barcelona recently, although Guardiola maintained he did that for tactical reasons.
Regardless, he underlined his value to the team with two clinical first-half goals at the Hawthorns to inspire City to their first victory of any kind in five weeks.
The Argentina forward has also struggled to make the impact he has desired recently and his own run of games without scoring stretched back as far as City's last win at Swansea on September 24.
Just as he clicked into form again before the break, so too did City as they built on the lead Aguero had given them through another double from Ilkay Gundogan.
The former Atletico Madrid forward set up his first, before he converted a Kevin De Bruyne cross for his second and City's fourth a minute before injury time began.
Succeeding in the Midlands saw City's six-match winless run in all competitions come to an end as they went back to the top of the Premier League after being displaced earlier in the day by Arsenal.
They lead Arsene Wenger's side by a goal and the result gives them a confidence boost ahead of their home meeting with Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Click the video above to sign in with your Sky iD and watch highlights from The Hawthorns as Manchester City got back to winning ways.