If Mark Hughes wants to act as a convincing salesman to prospective new arrivals at Manchester City, he only has to post off a DVD of Robinho. When he’s in the mood, Robinho embodies the dictionary definition of the word genius. He proved it yesterday as City retained their interest in qualifying for the Europa League, and Hughes inflicted defeat on his former club with goals from Felipe Caicedo, Elano and, of course, Robinho himself.

Occasionally, there is something of the self-dramatist about Robinho. At half-time he left the pitch last of all and with the starry glamour of a stage grandee bowing before the swish of the curtain. Mind you, he deserved his standing ovation.

Robinho always looks as delicate as a candle flame, but Blackburn could not extinguish him. He also moves as gracefully as a bolt of silk, and his daring runs and quick stepping over the ball bewildered his markers. At one stage, he took a long clearance and stopped it with an exquisite back-heel flick, which left Andre Ooijer hurtling off in one direction as the ball vanished in another. The defender looked distraught and embarrassed, like a man racing after a train who finds he’s dashed on to the wrong platform. When the two of them next came into contact, Ooijer took the desperate option, hooking his outstretched leg around Robinho’s and spinning him over.

The plot and pattern of the game was predictably set early on. Blackburn’s vigour and muscle competed against City’s artistry. But given Robinho’s skill, and the steady, fluent rhythm that City are capable of achieving, it was incongruous to see them slip in front with a scrappy goal in 26 minutes. Blackburn dealt so clumsily with an Elano corner that one mis-hit clearance after another created first panic and then paralysis. When Nedum Onuoha’s pass landed at Caicedo’s feet, he clipped it just inside the right hand post from three yards. Robinho soon restored high aesthetic standards by running on to a pass from Vincent Kompany and curling his shot into the bottom corner for his 14th Premier League goal of the season.

With the interval approaching, Gael Givet gave away a penalty that made escape from defeat impossible. Sliding into a tackle with Stephen Ireland, he handled the ball in the process. Elano did the rest.

Blackburn grabbed a token goal in 66 minutes. After Given guessed right to claw down a El Hadji Diouf penalty — Onuoha had hauled down Morten Gamst Pedersen to concede it — Keith Andrews poached the rebound.

However convincing the result, the sense of expectation still presses down on Hughes like a heavy blanket, which explains why one inevitability this summer is he will swap his squad around faster than Henry VIII switched wives.

City’s inventive spark is there but the bellows of a more energetic talent is needed to fan it into a genuine flame around Robinho. Whether their financial clout propels them towards the top four is a moot point. It is difficult to make an intelligent judgment about the new look and style that City are planning. It is harder still to get a strong grip on the shape or scale of Hughes’ grand design because he is linked to almost any player of pedigree who is available. It’s not just a question of who Hughes buys, but whether he creates a harmonious weave out of disparate, mercurial recruits.

Blackburn’s consolation arrived in the shape of news from elsewhere. Defeats for Middlesbrough and Portsmouth came as a gale of relief for them. Only Hull and Newcastle can spoil their Bank Holiday weekend now.

When Sam Allardyce arrived, Blackburn were falling apart at a shattering pace. He has given them a steady compass and a toughness. What he can’t yet do is draft a foolproof plan to bottle up Robinho. In mitigation, how do you master a master who is on form?

Star man: Robinho (Manchester City)

Yellow cards: Manchester City: Caicedo, De Jong. Blackburn Rovers: Ooijer, Nelsen, Grella.

Referee: M Dean.

Attendance: 43,967.

MANCHESTER CITY: Given 7, Richards 7, Onuoha 7, Dunne 7, Bridge 7, De Jong 7, Kompany 7, Ireland 8, Elano 8 (Petrov 78min), Caicedo 7 (Bojinov 62min), Robinho 9.

BLACKBURN ROVERS: Robinson 7, Ooijer 6, Nelsen 7, Givet 7, Warnock 7, Diouf 7, Grella 7, Tugay 7 (Doran 64min), Pedersen 7, McCarthy 7 (Villanueva h-t, 6), Samba 7 (Andrews 64min).