Albion ninth on 45 points heading into final day
- Gabriel Jesus (27) and Kevin De Bruyne (29) with quickfire strikes
- Yaya Toure adds second-half third for City (57)
- Hal Robson-Kanu grabs late consolation (87)
- Baggies finish Premier League season at Swansea on Sunday
- Attendance: 53,624
- Albion Star Man: Ben Foster
TWO goals in three first-half minutes put Albion on course to a 3-1 Premier League defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Gabriel Jesus tapped home from close range before Kevin De Bruyne added a well-taken second from distance just before the half-hour mark to ensure the Baggies trailed 2-0 at the interval.
Yaya Toure added a third in the 57th minute as Albion were condemned to defeat in their penultimate match of the campaign by a City side who all but secured a top-four finish and Champions League football next season.
Hal Robson-Kanu's 87th-minute strike proved to be little more than consolation for Tony Pulis' side.
The Baggies, who slipped one place in the table to ninth, remain on 45 points heading into Sunday's final game of the season at Swansea City.
History was not on Albion's side heading into the encounter having lost their last 10 Premier League meetings against the high-flying Blues, who had a wealth of attacking talent on show at the Etihad.
Albion showed three changes from the side who pushed Chelsea all the way on Friday night - Marc Wilson, Claudio Yacob and Nacer Chadli coming in for the injured Gareth McAuley as well as Sam Field and James McClean, both of whom started on the bench.
Ben Foster was first to be called into action after 14 minutes as he parried away a free-kick from Aleksandar Kolarov, before Leroy Sane pulled an effort wide when clean through shortly after.
Albion were proving a match for their hosts but two quickfire City goals just before the half-hour mark swung the clash.
Jesus opened the scoring when he tapped home De Bruyne's cross from close range after neat skill from Sergio Aguero, before De Bruyne himself added a well-taken second from 20 yards.
De Bruyne tried his luck again soon after but his effort was palmed to safety by Foster, who was called upon to keep out Aguero from the edge of the area, while Salomon Rondon tested Willy Caballero before the break.
Albion found themselves three goals down just before the hour as Toure exchanged a one-two with Aguero and coolly slotted past Foster.
Rondon headed narrowly wide in what proved to be his last act of the match before being replaced by Robson-Kanu, making his return from a hamstring injury.
Foster tipped over from Jesus before he was at it again in the closing stages to twice deny the Brazilian.
Robson-Kanu turned Allan Nyom's cross from the right into the back of the net with three minutes left on the clock as Albion stole a late consolation against Pep Guardiola's men.
Albion: Foster; Nyom, Dawson, Evans, M Wilson (McClean 52); Livermore (Morrison 65), Yacob, Fletcher (c), Brunt, Chadli; Rondon (Robson-Kanu 71).
Subs: Myhill, K Wilson, Field, Leko.
BOOKED: Chadli (foul, 51), Dawson (foul, 52)
Man City: Caballero, Fernandinho, Kompany (c) (Stones 77), Otamendi, Kolarov, Yaya Toure (Fernando 81), De Bruyne, Silva (Zabaleta 62), Sane, Aguero, Gabriel Jesus.
Subs: Gunn, Sterling, Navas, Clichy.
BOOKED: Sane (simulation, 70)
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)