You come at the kings, you best not miss.
The Premier League declared war on champions Manchester City this week, making serious allegations among over 100 charges that, if proven, would taint almost a decade of the club's recent success and could even call into question their position in the competition. After Pep Guardiola had said in his Friday press conference that it was very clear what side he was on as he mounted a fierce defence of the club's innocence, those inside the Etihad for the 3-1 win against Aston Villa showed exactly where they stood on the matter.
"F*** the Premier League," was the message that rang loud and clear from the Etihad. It was sung by the fans outside the ground to welcome the players in, and then sung inside the stands throughout the game.
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When it wasn't heard, there were songs for former manager Roberto Mancini and Sheikh Mansour that aren't regularly heard on a matchday as City supporters picked up the siege mentality that Guardiola had driven in the week. The booing of the Premier League anthem before the game was really something, even at a ground where the Champions League anthem has been booed for years.
There were even new banners for the occasion, on top of the existing ones that have taken on new meaning this week about City fighting until the end. If the charges against City are unprecedented, a tribute to a lawyer your club have hired - Pannick on the Streets of London - must also be a first while a few supporters had decided simply to draw a middle finger on a sheet with the words 'INVESTIGATE THAT'.
As importantly, the aggressive response was also carried by a team performance that may well be the brightest 90 minutes in the league since the Blues returned from the World Cup. It was certainly the fastest start as Rodri ghosted past Boubacar Kamara in the box to head City into the lead from a Riyad Mahrez corner after just four minutes.
Fast starts are a hallmark of a City team in form, and it is notable that this is the first league game they have netted in the first ten minutes since the 6-3 derby win back in October. Where the Blues have made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves so often since then, this early strike gave them - and the fans - the perfect platform to carry on the momentum.
It was a City team with Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias back in, albeit with a familiar Guardiola twist: with only three defenders named in the XI, it worked either as a back three with Laporte on the left or with Bernardo Silva dropping back into that role. Bernardo may well be on his way in the summer, but until he goes the manager is going to milk every position possible out of him.
What happened next was exactly what Guardiola has been waiting for: City did not let up. The intensity that has been missing for too long was burning furiously as every player tried to do everything they could to put the Blues further ahead.
Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, and Ilkay Gundogan had all gone close in the first half when finally, with five minutes to go before the break, the club captain doubled the lead. It was a ghost into the back post similar to his efforts in the final game of last season, albeit this time with the blistering pace of Erling Haaland to take advantage of Calum Chambers' header past Emi Martinez before a clever smash across the six-yard box.
It was three before half-time when Jack Grealish - making his first start against his former club - was brought down in the area to give the referee a simple decision. Mahrez, Rodri and Haaland all seemingly wanted to take the spot-kick before captain Gundogan settled it in Mahrez's favour; by the time that drama was over, there was little time to even think about Martinez's abilities to put the taker off before the ball had been rammed past him into the middle of the goal.
Rodri tested Martinez again in the second half and despite a fade in performance in the final 20 minutes after changes that allowed Villa to get back into the game City had done enough in an opening period that will go down as one of the most satisfying in months. Any talk of the players being distracted by the off-field allegations turned out to be as mistaken as Guardiola has suggested.
And when the team slackened off to allow Ollie Watkins to pull a goal back, the fans stepped up again to remind the manager that it is anything but a 'happy flowers' organisation right now. Guardiola wanted a reaction and, in the most extraordinary circumstances imaginable, he has one.
There is no shortage of irony in the fact that the Premier League may have sparked this by announcing alleged charges without any proof in the middle of an ongoing campaign. Beat Arsenal on Wednesday and the reigning champions will be top of the table and on course for three straight titles from an organisation they are set to engage aggressively with in the courtroom; the Premier League will insist they are neutral in the situation but the thought of the champions surging towards the top while the alleged breaches hang over them will not make Richard Masters and his colleagues sleep any easier at night.
As awkward as City have made it for Premier League lawyers, this was the City that rivals are sick and tired of seeing under Guardiola as they ground their opponents into the floor and didn't let up.
A week that began with damning accusations out of the blue has ended with renewed hope at the Etihad that they can actually win what they want to - on and off the pitch.
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