He is on a personal mission to finish ahead of his old club, and Samir Nasri ensured the gap between Manchester City and Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal stayed within manageable proportions at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Two goals from Nasri and a cracking free-kick from Alvaro Negredo underlined why City are known as The Great Entertainers at home, but it’s another title the former Arsenal midfielder craves more than anything.

Asked recently about Arsenal’s position as pacesetters, Nasri congratulated them warmly before adding: ‘There’s plenty of time for that to change. I’ll only be happy if we finish in front of them at the end of the season. I’m a champion, and that’s where I want to be.’

He certainly looked the part as he put spirited Swansea to the sword with the two high-calibre finishes that extended City’s unstoppable start at home to 21 points and 29 goals from seven straight wins. Whether he will be a champion in the final reckoning may be clearer on December 14 when City attempt to make it eight out of eight against Arsenal.

There are away games to be negotiated first, at West Brom and Southampton, but Swansea boss Michael Laudrup already senses that if Arsenal peer over their shoulder, then the sight of City looming large should concern them most.

Laudrup’s reputation continued to rise, after he devised a plan that at least made City work for their win, but it all came apart, as Nasri added to Negredo’s eighth-minute opener with strikes in the 58th and 77th minutes.

‘At home, City are the best team in the league,’ he said. ‘What I have seen here today just reinforces what I have seen in other games.

‘They were one of my two favourites for the title, along with Chelsea, even before today, and if they can start winning games away, they are going to take some stopping.

‘The idea was to keep possession. I told my team that they had to keep the ball as much as possible, because they were up against opponents who can change a game in a split-second. ‘We did that, and moved forward in numbers, and everything was working fine, until they scored a fantastic second goal.

‘That is what you are up against with City. Sergio Aguero didn’t score today, but what an outstanding player — strong, fast, skilful and so difficult to mark. It sounds strange after losing 3-0 but we did so many things right. We were just undone by sheer quality.’

Negredo came up with the ideal answer to being chopped down by Jose Canas, picking himself up and drilling the resultant free-kick beyond the wall to stretch his scoring sequence to seven consecutive home games in all competitions.

That might have been the prelude to a Tottenham-style trouncing, but Swansea stuck to Laudrup’s game plan and could have been level by half-time. Jonjo Shelvey twice forced saves from Costel Pantilimon while, to Laudrup’s dismay, Jonathan de Guzman lifted a close-range chance over the bar in the 45th minute.

City clicked into gear in the 58th minute. Yaya Toure played a clever reverse pass and Nasri took it in his stride before firing past Gerhard Tremmel from just inside the area.

Any lingering hope for Swansea disappeared in the 77th minute, when a flowing right-flank move ended with Pablo Zabaleta’s low cross being swept home by Nasri. Manuel Pellegrini, City’s manager, has challenged his side to be top by the new year but admits that could hinge on their away form.

‘We will know more about our chances (of going top) after our next two away games,’ said Pellegrini, who also dismissed gossip that Real Madrid may attempt to lure Aguero away.

‘Now we have to start winning away, and West Brom (on Wednesday) will be a big challenge for us. On Sergio, he does not want to leave, so I don’t believe that story.’

—Daily Mail