Not for the first time, Pep Guardiola had Liverpool on his mind.
The Manchester City boss had just gathered the senses that were scrambled by the Real Madrid meltdown of Wednesday night when he decided to go firmly on the attack.
In the wake of a 5-0 shellacking of Newcastle that gave his side ample breathing room in the final weeks of this thrilling Premier League title race, Guardiola decided to take on his great rivals.