Toure, Silva, Aguero Star as Manchester City Make Up Ground at the Top

Manchester City ended a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa—a result that saw them close the gap on Tottenham and Arsenal, who played out a 2-2 draw in the day’s early kick-off.

However, Leicester City, who defeated Watford, remain 10 points clear of Manuel Pellegrini’s side having played a game more.

It’s going to take something special for City to win their third title in five years. Their inability to perform consistently (they haven’t won back-to-back league games since October) means they have left themselves in an extremely difficult, if not impossible, scenario.

The number of missed opportunities this season will surely haunt Pellegrini, who privately must admit it’s been a disastrous league campaign. City should be in a commanding position at the top, given the quality at their disposal.

They’re not, thanks largely to their own profligacy, but the win over Villa at least keeps West Ham and Manchester United at arm’s length back in fifth and sixth, respectively. In the aftermath of Wednesday's hammering at Anfield, there were suggestions City may struggle to qualify for the Champions League, but, in truth, that shouldn’t be a problem.

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TABLE After some Saturday in the Barclays Premier League, the latest standings look like this: pic.twitter.com/PxS9e2Wcw4

— Premier League (@premierleague) March 6, 2016"

City played with a freedom and intensity absent on Wednesday when they were dismantled by an average Liverpool side in what was one of their most disappointing displays of the season. Villa may be bottom of the table and heading straight to the Championship, but City were unrelenting, confining Remi Garde’s team to their own half for much of the game and restricting them to just two shots on goal.

Villa’s tactic of sticking every player behind the ball in a bid to frustrate City worked for 45 minutes, but the Blues deserve credit for finding a way of unlocking their packed defence.

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A pretty convincing set of stats from #cityvvilla... #mcfc pic.twitter.com/Z1IgERkIbk

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) March 5, 2016"

And there were some individual performances that offered hope. City need to go on a remarkable run, with nine wins in their remaining 10 games perhaps required to give themselves any chance of catching a rampant Leicester side with just one competition to concentrate on. To do that, the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero will have to be at their best.

All three starred against Villa. Toure controlled the midfield with his strength and passing; Silva was demanding the ball and showed flashes of his creative best; Aguero was lethal and in the mood for goals, using his pace to cause chaos in the Villa back line.

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PASS MASTER @21LVA now has 56 #BPL assists - 12 more than any other player since his debut in August 2010 pic.twitter.com/UU0FRpDztc

— Premier League (@premierleague) March 6, 2016"

There were two rather more unsung heroes, too. Jesus Navas spent much of the early part of the season being criticised for his limitations, but he’s emerged as a consistent performer and valuable squad player.

Against Villa, he was a constant threat down the right, with his pace and urgency giving City impetus going forward.

And Gael Clichy, a player who has sometimes struggled for consistency at City, was a wonderful outlet down the left, doubling up as a winger and providing some quality deliveries into the box.

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Instant reaction from Gael Clichy following today's victory over Villa. #cityvvilla #mcfc  https://t.co/1ulFTEUqyz

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) March 5, 2016"

For Wilfried Bony, though, it was another tale of woe. Clumsy touches, woeful finishing and a lack of movement is a worrying set of deficiencies for a Premier League striker. He simply doesn't look up to the task of playing for City. There's now a very real possibility his agent will need to find him a new club in the summer.

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Watch Manuel Pellegrini's post-match thoughts following a thumping win against Villa. #cityvvilla #mcfc  https://t.co/X4l2X9m7oI

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) March 5, 2016"

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A big win to stay in the race. It's a tough one but we'll fight 'til the very end as usual. C'mon, City!

— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) March 5, 2016"

The result left Pellegrini in a more positive mood than on Wednesday, with the Chilean insisting his side remain in with a chance of lifting the title.

"All the teams will lose points from now until the end of the season," he said afterwards. "The pressure comes more towards the end so experience will be important.

"We need other teams to lose points—we are not just depending on what we can do. We are going to play every game as a final.

"We need to close the gap if Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham lose points. It is very important."

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.