ROBINHO produced a Brazilliant match-winning performance as City put Stoke to the sword.

The £32.5m-man hit a hat-trick to send Blues fans wild at Eastlands, while Stoke were given a harsh lesson about the realities of life in the Premier League.

Three clinical swipes of the boot showed exactly why Chelsea wanted Robinho and why Mark Hughes smashed the British transfer record to get him.

Stoke may not be the most formidable opposition, but the former Real Madrid man proved brains will always overcome brawn as well as giving City's European aspirations a much-needed shove in the right direction.

It could have been more, with substitute Daniel Sturridge guilty of one horrendous miss, the youngster having to be content with a couple of assists.

If Stoke's fans are still pinching themselves at having the opportunity of watching their team take on such talents as Robinho and Elano, the Brazilian duo might be equally bemused at the type of football they were being faced with.

Bully

There were precious few South Americans around in the 1980s as Wimbledon bullied their way into the top flight and there is definitely more than a bit of a Crazy Gang attitude about Tony Pulis' side.

Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland are dwarfs by comparison to the giants Pulis has assembled at the Britannia Stadium.

Talent cannot be disguised though and it soon became apparent that if City were able to string a couple of passes together and keep the ball on the ground - not an easy task - they would prosper.

Robinho had already forced Thomas Sorensen into one smart save when City attacked through Wright-Phillips down the right flank.

Ireland and Elano caused uncertainty in the visitors' box and when the ball bounced to young Wales international Ched Evans, handed a start as £18million forward Jo was ruled out with tonsillitis, he had the awareness and intelligence to find Robinho with a volleyed square pass.

It was not an easy opportunity for Robinho to convert but the money City have paid for the Brazilian is a sign of his class and he duly found the net, his fifth goal since his arrival from Real Madrid.

Yet, rather than the start of a one-sided stroll, it proved to be the beginning of a prolonged battle for City, whose central defenders Richard Dunne and Tal Ben Haim, both stood firm in the face of a physical barrage.

Dunne was off the field having treatment when Tom Soares' corner dropped perfectly onto the head of Ryan Shawcross.

Fresh

The former Manchester United trainee got plenty of power into his header but Joe Hart, fresh from signing a new five-year contract, managed to bundle the ball away.

As Hart had already made an excellent fingertip save to deny Ricardo Fuller, who blazed over in stoppage time after racing onto Mamady Sidibe's flick on, Pulis' side had every reason to feel optimistic at the break.

The hopes turned out to be built on quicksand as City scored within two minutes of the restart.

With Darius Vassell and Benjani sidelined, Sturridge might have hoped to be in Hughes' plans more regularly this season.

But Evans appears to have overtaken the England Under-19 international among the more raw talents in Hughes' squad, leaving Sturridge frustrated on the bench until the Wales star limped off just before the break.

Sturridge knew he had something to prove, which is exactly what he did with a thrilling run at the Stoke defence, at the end of which he had the calmness to slip a pass to Robinho, who duly did the rest with a first-time finish.

Robinho acknowledged Sturridge's contribution by rubbing the youngster's boot in an elaborate celebration, although a goal would have been better instead of wildly blasting Stephen Ireland's pass over shortly afterwards.

The hunt was now on for Robinho's hat-trick. The former Real Madrid man fired wide after one mazy dribble, then Sorensen made a fine save after Shaun Wright-Phillips had crossed.

But City's record signing was not to be denied. And, at the end of a flowing 60-yard move in which he was initially involved, Robinho was on hand to stroke his third past Sorensen after Sturridge had again provided the final pass.