Terrace Talk: Man City - Two rivals heading in different directions

The fortunes of Manchester City and Chelsea have followed vaguely parallel paths for much of the last five decades, but on the evidence of this match at the Etihad, the two clubs are heading in different directions right now.

With five strung across the back and four more parading ruggedly in front of them for double protection, the visitors’ line-up looked as bottom heavy as a Bulgarian shot putter. Eden Hazard, cutting an increasingly bedraggled figure alone in the driving rains on the halfway line, must have wondered what he had done to deserve banishing to a different land to that inhabited by his teammates.

If ever a week summed up the majesty and magnificence of what Pep Guardiola has brought to Manchester it was one where Arsenal had been twice demolished, the first trophy of the Guardiola era was captured and the reigning champions were reduced to looking like pessimistic lower league cup opponents.