Music again blasted out of the away dressing-room, this time prior to kick-off, and Manchester City were even more tuneful on the pitch as they danced around Swansea City to earn a record-breaking 15th successive Premier League victory.
David Silva was again the orchestrator - captaining, controlling, and scoring twice.
He was simply brilliant: a 10-out-of-10 performance but for missing a
chance. Even then it seems churlish not to give him full marks.
No team has ever started a season like this in top-flight English football and it is increasingly difficult to see any side stopping City who have the imposing air of champions-elect.
No team has ever started a season like this in top-flight English football and it is increasingly difficult to see any side stopping City who have the imposing air of champions-elect.
The gulf between these two teams was such that it emphatically felt like top against bottom.
Against the Swans, City were serene. They could have claimed a clutch more but their tally of 52 league goals this season is already 12 more than some sides scored in the entire last campaign.
Against the Swans, City were serene. They could have claimed a clutch more but their tally of 52 league goals this season is already 12 more than some sides scored in the entire last campaign.
But then City will break record after record. They are already on 49 points after 17 games.
Arsenal's 'Invincible' had 39 points at this stage. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea of 2004-05, who hold the record points total of 95 for a Premier League season, had 40. City should hit a century.
Customary service - a Silva service in fact - was resumed by City before half an hour. They scored.
Arsenal's 'Invincible' had 39 points at this stage. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea of 2004-05, who hold the record points total of 95 for a Premier League season, had 40. City should hit a century.
Customary service - a Silva service in fact - was resumed by City before half an hour. They scored.
It was a fine finish with Bernardo Silva, one of four changes made by
Pep Guardiola from the Manchester derby triumph, collecting Roque
Mesa's miscued pass and teeing up an in-swinging cross for David Silva
to ghost on and deftly flick the ball without the outside of his left
boot past a stranded Lukasz Fabianski.
City scored again seven minutes later. Kevin De Bruyne whipped in a
right-foot free-kick with Sergio Aguero darting in to try and steer it
home. Maybe he distracted Fabianski, maybe there was too much whip on
the ball, as it took one bounce and flew into the net.
Swansea appeared broken. The scraps they had been feeding off became
even more meagre, the pace of the game dropped and City's control was
complete.
As the half-time whistle went, there was little reaction off the pitch. It said it all.
City continued to dominate proceedings and struck for a third on 52 minutes. Sterling dribbled into the area, after David Silva's pass, and he returned the ball to the midfielder, who was in the tightest of spaces but managed to lift it over Fabianski for his second goal.
As the half-time whistle went, there was little reaction off the pitch. It said it all.
City continued to dominate proceedings and struck for a third on 52 minutes. Sterling dribbled into the area, after David Silva's pass, and he returned the ball to the midfielder, who was in the tightest of spaces but managed to lift it over Fabianski for his second goal.
Aguero then completed the rout. He again ran at the Swansea defense
and narrowed a low shot across Fabianski to reach double figures for his
sixth successive season at City while Swansea, as the stadium began to
quickly empty, were left bereft.(© The Daily Telegraph, London)
