MANCHESTER — Pep Guardiola's hope that his team's hunger to rewrite the English football record books would see it maintain its championship-winning form proved well-founded as Manchester City swept aside Swansea City 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium Sunday.

The only negative aspect of the occasion for the newly-crowned Premier League champion was a post-match pitch invasion by several hundred City supporters, who ignored pleas over the loudspeakers to burst through stewards and onto the field.

Seven days after Manchester United's shock home defeat to West Bromwich Albion had made the title a mathematical certainty for Guardiola's side, City returned to action before their own supporters.

With the league safely won, Guardiola had warned that his players will find next season far tougher — both in terms of the opposition and his own demands — and hoped that the chance to set new historical marks would prove an inspiration over the remainder of this campaign.

And another emphatic victory certainly left City, which has four games remaining against teams in the bottom eight of the league, well placed to do precisely that.

It stands one victory short of Chelsea's Premier League record tally of 30, set last season, and with 90 points, is also well on course to break the record of 95 points, again set by Chelsea in 2010.

That season also saw the London club set the current best for goals scored with 103, a mark City now trail by just five.

In short, Guardiola has presided over a season for the ages in his second season in England, even if there was a slightly anti-climactic feeling about the way in which City clinched the title just days after a Champions League quarterfinal exit to Liverpool.

City, and its captain Vincent Kompany, must wait a further two weeks before physically getting their hands on the trophy — their third Premier League title in the last seven years — with the authorities having decided that a formal presentation will be made when Huddersfield Town visit the Etihad on May 6.

Still, Swansea provided City with a guard of honor before kickoff and the visitors were largely reduced to watching and admiring as City showed them why they are setting records this season.

After just 11 minutes, and relentless City possession, Kevin De Bruyne's superb pass was played back by Raheem Sterling for David Silva who juggled the ball skilfully before volleying into the Swansea goal.

Five minutes later, an even better move saw David Silva and Fabian Delph play a series of one-twos before the latter crossed for Sterling to calmly slot in the ball from four yards.

It was the start of a monotonous procession toward the Swansea goal with De Bruyne scoring the pick of the bunch on 53 minutes with a magnificent 25-yard right-foot shot.

Nine minutes later, Federico Fernandez brought down Sterling and, after Gabriel Jesus's penalty was touched onto the post by Lukasz Fabianski, Bernardo Silva responded quickly to net City's fourth from the rebound.

In the comfortable finale for City, there was time for Benjamin Mendy to make his return after a seven-month absence with a knee injury as a 75th-minute substitute, handing the French international a fifth appearance of the season and, with that, a Premier League winner's medal.

And Jesus finally claimed his goal two minutes from time, appearing on the end of Yaya Toure's chip to head in the final goal of a game that served as an emphatic statement by club and manager alike.

Meanwhile, Arsenal scored three goals in the final eight minutes as manager Arsene Wenger marked his penultimate home Premier League match in charge with a crushing 4-1 win over West Ham United in a London derby at the Emirates.

Defender Nacho Monreal put Arsenal ahead six minutes into the second half when he fired low past Joe Hart at a corner to bring the match to life after a dull first half.

Marko Arnautovic equalized 13 minutes later when substitute midfielder Manuel Lanzini fed him on the left and the striker shot past the diving David Ospina into the bottom far corner.

Aaron Ramsey put Arsenal ahead again in the 82nd when a mistake in the Hammers defense allowed his effort from the left edge of the box to sail into the far side of Hart’s net and Alexandre Lacazette added the third and fourth goals.

Stoke missed the chance to give its hopes of Premier League survival a major boost when it was held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley at the bet365 Stadium Sunday.

Badou Ndiaye gave Stoke the lead in the 11th minute, via a deflection off the boot of Burnley’s Kevin Long.

Burnley upped the tempo after the break and went level in the 62nd minute thanks to Ashley Barnes, his sixth goal in his last eight league games.

With three games to play, Stoke is four points behind Swansea City in 19th, with the South Wales side having played two games less. Burnley stays seventh, four points behind Arsenal in sixth. — Agencies