Manchester City finished a poor season on a high note with only their fifth Premiership win at home.
Paulo Wanchope dispatched a Nicolas Anelka flick from six yards before sliding home a Claudio Reyna cross.
Anelka effectively ended the game as a contest when he added a third on 41 minutes, but Kevin Campbell pulled one back for Everton after the break.
Antoine Sibierski and Shaun Wright-Phillips netted late on to complete the rout and leapfrog Everton in the table.
Tomasz Radzinski, one of three players recalled by manager David Moyes, appealed for an early penalty but Richard Dunne's tackle was perfectly timed and just outside the area.
Dunne then sent a header wide from Paul Bosvelt's free-kick at the other end before City opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
Wanchope, retained up front alongside Anelka with Robbie Fowler left on the bench, justified Kevin Keegan's faith by dispatching Anelka's deflected flick from six yards.
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KEY MOMENTS
16 mins: Wanchope puts City ahead
30 mins: Wanchope grabs his second
40 mins: Anelka nets City's third
60 mins: Campbell heads home corner
88 mins: Sibierski drills home City's fourth
90 mins: Wright-Phillips grabs late fifth
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Wright-Phillips then had a 20-yarder saved by Nigel Martyn before Wanchope grabbed his second on the half-hour.
Reyna was allowed to canter down the left and when Anelka could only get a toe to his cross, Wanchope swept home his fourth goal in three games.
The Costa Rican striker returned the favour five minutes before the interval when he released Anelka on the right side of the area and the Frenchman beat Martyn with a left-foot shot from 18 yards.
Everton, without eight regulars, were a muted force in attack, James McFadden volleying their best chance of the first half into the turf and straight at David James.
But Campbell, on as a half-time substitute, gave the visitors hope when he headed home Wayne Rooney's corner on the hour.
That was Rooney's only positive contribution to a disappointing afternoon which saw the England striker booked after 67 minutes and drag a shot wide late on.
Wanchope was twice denied his hat-trick by Martyn as City went looking for further goals to justify their blatant superiority.
They arrived in the closing two minutes as Sibierski and Wright-Phillips added the finishing gloss to a convincing victory.
Man City: James, Jihai, Distin, Dunne, Tarnat, Wright-Phillips,
Barton (Sibierski 85), Bosvelt, Reyna (Jordan 82), Anelka,
Wanchope (Macken 79).
Subs Not Used: Arason, Fowler.
Booked: Barton.
Everton: Martyn, Watson (Chadwick 71), Stubbs, Weir, Hibbert,
Carsley, McFadden (Campbell 45), Yobo, Osman, Rooney,
Radzinski (Linderoth 86).
Subs Not Used: Wright, Clarke.
Booked: Rooney.
Attendance: 47,284.
Referee: S Dunn (Gloucestershire).