And now for something totally unique: Manchester City v Liverpool. The earliest title decider ever seen. Well, not quite, of course. The pre-match heat, so intense and febrile, begot a match sizzling with fervour and movement, but when the mists cleared, we found that we’re all still gripped by the icy fingers of the first week of January.

Were Liverpool’s last three results a reasonable pointer or yet another wicked tease for City fans used to minute crumbs from trips to this part of the world?

Bernardo Silva wrapped up Manchester City’s opening-weekend victory at Arsenal before insisting the result was a statement of intent from the Premier League champions.

Man City 3 Brighton 1

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0: And then there were four. Four games and 12 points which Pep Guardiola and Manchester City require to make mathematically certain of the Premier League title after Bernardo Silva’s goal allowed his team to open up an 18-point lead at the top of the table. 

Pep Guardiola says he cannot be afraid to upset Manchester City’s players with his selection choices as they chase multiple trophies.

They made the Borussia Dortmund Twitter account regret one particularly premature tweet, too.

Guinness PRO14: Connacht 23 - Cheetahs 15: Tiernan O’Halloran has no qualms about being left out of the Irish squad for the autumn internationals, but the 26-year-old will be keeping a bag packed over the next few weeks in case there is a call from Joe Schmidt.

Raheem Sterling struck a deflected injury-time winner to give Manchester City victory after a hard-fought contest at Bournemouth - only to then be sent off for his celebrations.

Liverpool 3 Middlesbrough 0: When the two minutes of injury-time were up, Jurgen Klopp stood slowly, grinned, hugged every man on the Liverpool bench, and then went and casually but earnestly shook the hand of Steve Agnew, the Middlesbrough caretaker manager.

Jesse Lingard's thunderous strike lit up what ended up being a nervy Manchester United win as relegation-threatened Middlesbrough rallied under caretaker boss Steve Agnew.

Ospreys 26 Ulster 46: Ulster secured their place in the Guinness Pro12 play-offs after an entertaining 10-try match at the Liberty Stadium as Ospreys failed to qualify for next season’s European Champions Cup.

Monaco 0 Juventus 0: Juventus moved into the last four of the Champions League for the first time in 12 years after playing out a goalless draw with Monaco in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.

Three more people have died from drinking contaminated beer in Mozambique, bringing the number of fatalities to 72, health officials said.

Mozambique’s government has declared three days of mourning after 69 people died from drinking contaminated traditional beer at a funeral over the weekend.

Ospreys 31 Ulster 20

Leinster 18 Ospreys 12

GUINNESS PRO12:

Half-backs Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb led Ospreys to a hard-earned 19-14 Guinness PRO12 victory over Munster at Thomond Park.

Treviso 3 Ulster 35

Benetton Treviso 15 Ulster 16

Everybody remembers when Cindy, Christy, Naomi et al took their clothes off to make the point that animals should be able to keep theirs on, but 20 years later real fur is back on the catwalks, and back on Naomi again. Noelle McCarthy reports

TALL STORY by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books; €13.19). When Andi finally meets her brother Bernardo, whom she has not seen for eight years, she is shocked to discover he is literally a giant – eight feet tall.

Stuart Pearce insists honesty is the best policy as Manchester City boss.

Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce has hit out at the "arrogant" British attitude which demands instant success from foreign imports.

Former Italy striker Bernardo Corradi has completed his move to Manchester City from Valencia for an undisclosed fee.

CANADA’S most notorious female killer, who raped and killed three teenage girls, including her sister, is going to live in Quebec now following her release from prison.

Canada’s most notorious female inmate, Karla Homolka, was secretly spirited from prison today after serving 12 years for the rapes, torture and murders of three teenage girls, including that of her little sister, authorities confirmed.

THE Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) will this week meet with their interim Chief Executive.