the division?
Games at the Etihad over the past two years against the Premier League’s so-called ‘bottom 14’ have tended
to follow a certain script. City would start on the front foot and quickly establish a comfortable lead.
Occasionally, they would concede a sloppy goal, but more often than not the remainder of the game would
be Guardiola’s fluid, flamboyant attack casually finding their way through their deep-set opponents and
extending their lead.
Saturday did not follow that script at all, but it did share a similar energy and rhythm with many of those
‘bottom 14’ games, in a way that many of City’s matches against the so-called ‘top six’ previously haven’t.
When the debate over Jesus’ disallowed goal eventually dies down and the disappointment with the draw
ebbs away, that will reassure Guardiola that a third consecutive Premier League title remains very much on
the cards.