Riyad Mahrez has handed Man City a new Premier League title advantage

Just when there's the slightest hint that Manchester City could be having a wobble, they get a crucial boost at just the right time. It might be enough to snuff out those faint hopes that neutrals have for a Premier League title race.

City went away for the winter break a fortnight ago on somewhat of a downbeat note.

Their 12-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of a spirited Southampton side in a 1-1 draw, in which City were unusually lacking in their typical ruthlessness in front of goal.

Wins for both Chelsea and Liverpool on the same weekend closed the gap at the top for the first time in weeks and gave oxygen to the dying embers that were the hope of a competitive season.

The title is far from a foregone conclusion as this stage as Pep Guardiola has repeatedly stressed.

The past two weeks gave the vast majority of the City squad some much needed time to rest and recover amid a brutal season and ahead of the resumption of the Champions League, but it also meant that City couldn't get straight back on the horse and return to winning ways immediately.

Then the first game back came around on Saturday, an FA Cup fifth-round tie. While not many predicted City wouldn't win, they were up against Championship high-flyers Fulham, who had scored 23 goals in their last five games.

There was a whiff of an upset in the air and that became a positive stench when Fabio Carvalho tapped in the Cottagers' opener, finishing off a brilliant move that cut City wide open, after just four minutes.

But just a mere 120 seconds later and Ilkay Gundogan whipped out the air fresheners, turning in the leveller and setting the Blues on their way to a 4-1 win.

The goal was set up in wonderful fashion by a returning Riyad Mahrez, as he