MANCHESTER CITY ended the greatest year in their history with the sort of football that has made them the world’s best.
Ok, rock bottom Sheffield United was hardly going to provide the toughest test on the planet -- City boasted an staggering EIGHTY TWO per cent of possession today.
But Pep Guardiola treats each team with the utmost respect which is why he is a serial winner.
He even got a yellow card for one rant at the fourth official in this. His intensity never drops.
He takes nothing for granted, in the Premier League in particular you cannot.
The visitors might be rock bottom but they showed in almost winning at Aston Villa what they are made of.
Here they were throwing themselves in front of everything that came their way.
Sitting deep and hoping to get something on the break.
They were up against a team who always finds a way through.
Go toe-to-toe and take them on here and they love it, park the bus and they just see it as a conundrum and they will find the answers.
It took just 14 minutes to do just that. Rodri, whose precision found the back of the net in Istanbul to win the Champions League, was laser like in guiding the ball to its target once more.
Credit Phil Foden for using his strength to lay the ball off as he received a hefty challenge from Vinicius Souza.
The referee played on and Rodri charged through with the Blades backing off before finding the far bottom corner.
City were so far superior and went up another level in the second half with Foden at the centre of everything in the number 10 role he loves the most.
He was exceptional in scoring in the victory over Everton and was involved in everything that was so good about City here.
The second goal was another great example how these players, no matter who is on the pitch, seem to have telepathic connection.
Oscar Bobb the Norwegian academy product has just a handful of Premier League appearances yet just minutes after coming on for Jack Grealish he was dialled in.
So on 61 minutes when Foden received the ball and played it out to him both knew what was coming next.
Foden wriggled between three players, Bobb’s slide rule pass found him and the England international’s final square ball was perfect for Julian Alvarez to turn in at the far post.
Wonderful. It was all the same style, effort and intensity on show here that has helped win them a record five trophies in the last seven months.
No club has held them all at the same time – A league title, FA Cup, Champions League, European Super Cup and now World Club Cup after their triumph in Saudi Arabia.
All five were paraded onto the pitch before kick off by some lucky fans.
All City fans, I swear you’ll never see anything like it ever again, so watch it, drink it in.
Who could have imagined this 15 years ago?
Guardiola said after winning the World title nine days ago after a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Fluminense that one book had closed on City’s history.
It would be incredible if he came close to writing another one that is as good. Sequels never tend to match the first.
Well, maybe The Empire Strikes Back, and that is exactly what this footballing empire is doing right now after they started to fall away in the title race before that trip to Saudi.
Just one win in six suggested it could be crumbling a little. No chance.
Guardiola said his team showed why they have that gold badge of their shirts in recognition of global domination with the comeback win over Everton on Wednesday.
Now they have cut the gap still further after beating The Blades.
Just two points separates them from leaders Liverpool who are top from Aston Villa on goal difference.
The others have missed a trick in trying to spread some distance between themselves and the Champions.
For while City had floundered before their trip to Goodison Park, their competitors have slipped up this month.
Liverpool have dropped four points, Arsenal eight and Villa now seven after securing a late dramatic win against Burnley.
Guardiola’s men are favourites again as they chase a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
And all this with their best player Kevin De Bruyne back, named in the squad for the first time since August after a hamstring injury.
His warm up brought as big a cheer as the goals.
Erling Haaland should be back in a couple of weeks too after suffering a foot injury at the start of the month.
Even when one player has to move aside, others step up to the plate. They are the best in the world.
‘Love This City’ it said on the front of the match programme. Their fans most certainly do.