Kept at bay for the much of the first half, Toru Oniki’s men ultimately made light work of their Flipino opponents with Kento Tachibaada netting a hat-trick and Karoru Mitoma a brace while Ryota Ohshima, Leandro Damiao and Yasuto Wakizaka also got their names on the scoresheet.

Kawasaki have now netted a remarkable 18 goals in their three consecutive wins, putting them firmly in pole position to win Group I, while United City are all but out of the running with just one point to their name at the halfway mark of the group stage.

The defending J1 League champions totally overpowered their opponents, with Kento Tachibanada bagging a hat-trick as they piled on six second half goals.

Among the favourites to contest the final this season, Kawasaki have now scored 18 goals in just three matches, making them the tournament’s highest-scoring side team, even taking into account the West Zone where 20 teams completed a six-match schedule in May.

Brazilian duo Edgar Silva and Cesinha had a brace each, with Oh Hu-seong rounding off the five-star display to propel the Korean side to a second consecutive win.

“I expected more, I know it is hard for them to play against such an opponent, but we need to push ourselves more,” said Jankovic.

A goal in each half secured Thailand's BG Pathum United the vital win which saw them overtake Vietnam's Viettel FC into second place in Group F with six points. Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai FC lead with nine points.

Oh’s second half brace together with Valeri Qazaishvili's 48th minute strike saw Ulsan beat Kaya FC-Iloilo 3-0 to stay perfect in Group F with nine points at the halfway stage.

The K League side have won every match since Matchday Two of the 2020 edition, which ended with Ulsan ultimately lifting their second AFC Champions League title.

The teams meet again on Saturday after Culpi made 10 changes for their first meeting on Wednesday, which ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Brazilian believes the break from a hectic run of matches will have his key performers ready to push for a place in the knockout rounds.

The club captain missed the first meeting with the Chinese side on Wednesday after picking up yellow cards in each of Kitchee’s first two games but will be available for selection as coach Alex Chu Chi-kwong looks to build on the six points already collected in Group J.