At full time, the world's media took their place on the touchline of the Etihad Stadium to dissect a result that could represent the changing of the guard when it comes to which club is the dominant force in Europe.
Some, like CBS Sports, saw former Manchester City defender Micah Richards effectively abandon his role as pundit and take up the role of cheerleader as he embraced Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne like a giddy youngster.
Colleagues Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher also spoke to them, with Henry in particular interrupting Grealish to tell Walker he had been 'immense' in his battle with Vinicius Jr.
On BT Sport, ex-Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand admired City for the world-class side they are, disclosing his pre-match text messages with Pep Guardiola and putting his club allegiances aside to respect the Blues' brilliant performance.