It was the second goal which brought to life the City manager’s vision of total football.  And what a beautiful mugging of Bayern Munich it was.  

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Man City are on the brink of the Champions League semis after thrashing Bayern MunichCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun

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City fired three past the Germans as Thomas Tuchel suffered on his return to EnglandCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun

Jack Grealish – a supposed show pony – won a bruising challenge to rob Dayot Upamecano, a centre-half approximately twice his size, and back-heeled to release Erling Haaland.

Then Haaland – supposedly a gluttonous one-track-mind goal machine, forego the chance to shoot and floated a visionary centre to Bernardo Silva.

And Bernardo, the smallest man on the pitch, stuck his nut on it and nodded past Yann Sommer. 

Soon after, Haaland notched one of his own – his 45th of a ridiculous campaign – and City were almost home and hosed ahead of the quarter-final second leg in Munich next Wednesday. 

City were excellent here, making elite opposition look thoroughly ordinary as the second half progressed.  

They led at the break through Rodri’s first Champions League goal – a long-range belter to compare with Vinny Kompany’s famous strike against Leicester during a title run-in a few seasons ago. 

But it was not until the second period when Guardiola’s side skewered the perennial champions of Germany with a relentless attacking verve. 

Guardiola loves to sarcastically claim he will be a ‘failure’ if he never wins the Champions League with City.