Terrace Talk: Man City - Grateful for an all-time great Fernandinho display

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.

Depending which reliable news feed you feast on these days, we had been told that “City have to win dirty”, “For the first time in a year a game City absolutely must win” and even a highly unusual take that “Liverpool can complete the double over City with a win at the Etihad”.