The LA Galaxy beat New York City FC 5-1 in a star-studded affair to top the standings in the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield.

A brace from Robbie Keane and goals from Giovani dos Santos, Sebastian Lletget and Gyasi Zardes completed the rout for LA, while David Villa's penalty served only as a consolation for New York.

As ESPN's James Tyler reports, the match was an extremely one-sided affair:

Frank Lampard was the notable absentee from the match, with both sides otherwise fielding strong teams.

Football writer Nick Chavez believed Lampard's absence was a blessing in disguise:

However, New York clearly missed the Englishman's presence, as they were overwhelmingly outplayed by LA, although the midfielder would not likely have saved his side here.

The Eastern side did have the better of the opening exchanges, though, with Andrea Pirlo and Villa linking up well, as the Spaniard registered some early efforts on goal.

LA soon grew into the game and replied with a number of dangerous chances of their own.

Keane's goal-bound strike was deflected out by Jason Hernandez, before Lletget's lob forced a smart save from Josh Saunders. The Irishman threatened again from the resulting corner, rattling the crossbar with a powerful close-range effort.

Lletget had the ball in the net for his side soon after, as he pounced on a rebound following Dos Santos' header, but the goal was correctly deemed offside.

It didn't take long for LA to take a deserved lead, though, with Omar Gonzalez taking advantage of a quick free-kick to feed Keane, whose cross was met by Zardes' head and flew past Saunders.

Galaxy continued to dominate throughout the first half and came close to doubling their tally on several occasions, with OptaJack noting their phenomenal number of shots on goal:

Things went from bad to worse after the restart, however, when Keane grabbed a well-earned goal himself, deftly lifting the ball over the onrushing Saunders after latching onto Dos Santos' inch-perfect pass.

Chavez was full of praise for both players:

The Mexican had one of his own shortly after, as he and Keane linked up yet again, this time in almost a reverse of the previous goal, with Keane the provider and Dos Santos applying the cool finish.

LA ran riot over their helpless opponents again and again throughout the half, carving them open with consummate ease. Tyler took pity on Saunders, whose defence and midfield offered virtually no protection in front of him:

Lletget made it four as he pounced on Steven Gerrard's rebounded shot.

Dan Gargan felled Patrick Mullins to earn New York a penalty on a rare foray up the field for David Villa to duly convert, but no sooner had the goal been celebrated when LA scored once again, Keane grabbing his brace by tapping home Robbie Rogers' low cross.

LA are now top of the Western Conference and face the San Jose Earthquakes in their next match. If they perform anything like they did on Sunday, they will almost certainly come away with three points.

That said, they will hardly play an easier game all season than they did against New York, so expect a somewhat tighter affair.

As for NYC, Columbus Crew will be eagerly anticipating their clash after such an abject display.

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Gerrard reiterated his desire to win silverware with his new team. Per BBC Sport, he said: 

"I've come here to win the league. It's all about finishing strong and taking maximum points. It's nice to come out on top and we controlled the majority of the game."

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