This is what Pep Guardiola wanted when he was so annoyed. Back in January, after Manchester City had been booed off by some supporters at half-time as they fell 2-0 behind against Tottenham, the manager coated off his players to their faces and then did it in the media.
Asked why he was going public as he savaged the "happy flowers team", he said he wanted a reaction. Saturday's win over Leicester showed just how emphaticly everyone has responded.
Two goals inside the opening 13 minutes set up a 3-1 win to close to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the league, yet it was everything that went into the performance that was so impressive. Also read: Man City player ratings vs Leicester as Grealish and Stones shine It started, on a sunny evening that made the horrendous rain on Tuesday seem even more ridiculous, with the fans.
The home support had already been singing for John Stones when the centre-back lashed in a bouncing ball like he was Erling Haaland to whip up even more noise in the stadium; the Norwegian was straight over to his teammate to show his appreciation for the strike.