Manchester City secured all three points at Etihad on Saturday against Crystal Palace. After a scrappy first half at Selhurst Park, Sergio Aguero thumped City ahead with a clinical finish before Ferran Torres drilled in a low shot.
That ended the resistance of Palace, who stay in 13th place.
Roy Hodgson’s side had chances in the first half through Christian Benteke, who flicked a header wide and had a close-range shot blocked by City keeper Ederson.
But once City made their breakthrough when Aguero smashed high into the net, quickly followed by Torres’ neat finish, the result was not in doubt.
Now it is a question of when, not if, Pep Guardiola’s side will be crowned champions once again after relinquishing the crown to Liverpool last season.
“We can start to put the champagne in the fridge – not to open yet, but it is there,” said Guardiola.
The 32-year-old Argentine will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season after playing such a pivotal role in their success since arriving in 2011.
While he might no longer be deemed by Guardiola as a key starter in City’s biggest games, there was a sense of inevitability that Aguero would still have a significant impact in their chase for the Treble as his iconic spell at the club comes towards an end.
Playing slightly deeper behind Gabriel Jesus, Aguero was at the heart of City’s brighter attacking moments in a first half when they lacked quality in the final third of the field.
Yet they had not managed a shot on target until the ball came into the Palace box from the left and Aguero took a deft touch to create space and blast a powerful shot into the roof of the net.
It was a reminder of the quality he still possesses, which is leaving the leading clubs in the world reportedly eyeing a move for him in the summer.
“I’m so happy because it has been a long time since I played 90 minutes and the goal was good because maybe we can win the Premier League,” said Aguero, who said he did not know if he will watch United’s game against Liverpool.
“Always I’m ready. I am feeling good. I always want the opportunity to play like today.”
Starting on Sunday when they won the Carabao Cup final against Tottenham, and continuing on Wednesday with the impressive victory at Paris St-Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg, Guardiola’s squad perfectly rounded off a pivotal week.
With the second leg coming up on Tuesday, Guardiola shuffled his team by making eight changes and they initially lacked rhythm against a well-drilled Palace side.
After Jesus saw a close-range finish ruled out for offside, City went into the break having failed to manage a shot on target in the first half for the first time in 21 matches.
Patience and second-half improvement had been the key to the win in Paris and so it proved again.
Guardiola’s demeanour was buoyant and relaxed after securing a vital win, having been able to rest key players and seemingly avoiding picking up any injuries.
Now he switches focus to completing the job against PSG on Tuesday and taking City into their first Champions League final.
