As has so often been the case since he arrived at the club in 2015, Kevin De Bruyne was Manchester City's man of the moment in their crucial 1-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend.
The win leaves City 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with the decisive goal coming in the 70th minute via the right boot of the Belgian dynamo.
It is undeniable that De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders to ever grace the English top flight. He can pass, dribble, shoot... simply put, he can do it all - that's why his opponents find it so difficult to defend against him.
When De Bruyne gets on the ball in the final third, it feels inevitable that he will either create an opportunity or score himself. What is harder to predict, even at the very last second, is what option he will take.
The ingredients that made up his goal against Chelsea encapsulated that perfectly
Awareness and reading of the game
One could make the argument that De Bruyne's greatest weapon isn't his right foot, but his brain.
Realising that N'Golo Kante was not aware of his movement, De Bruyne darted round the back of him to receive Joao Cancelo's excellent line-splitting pass.
Not only is De Bruyne ready to receive the pass, but his body shape means he is already set up to run into the space without first taking a touch, making it very difficult for Kante to recover and halt his advance. The Belgian is always two steps ahead.
Strength and running power
That didn't stop Kante - one of the best defensive midfielders in world football - from trying to stop his charge towards the box.
By surging towards goal De Bruyne showed that he has recovered much of his aerobic ability after contracting COVID-19 and is able to pull off the powerful runs that make him such a versatile creator.
He exhibited his strength when he powered through Kante's desperate challenge, maintaining his balance without losing momentum or purpose in his run.
Passing ability
As everyone knows, De Bruyne didn't end up passing the ball when he got to the edge of the Chelsea penalty area. Yet the fact that he has the quality to produce sublime through balls when all avenues appear closed sent the Chelsea defenders into a collective panic.
Chelsea did well to shut off the passing lanes to Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling, but that only afforded De Bruyne that little bit extra time and space to get closer to goal and make his final decision.
In this instance, a pass from De Bruyne would likely have been intercepted. But in the heat of the moment Chelsea's defenders weren't to know that, making it extremely difficult for them to try and defend against him.
Shooting
De Bruyne had slowed down in order to look for a pass, but when he realised that there wasn't one on he took on the shot.
It cannot be overstated how difficult it is to generate power or accuracy in a shot from a near-standing start, but that is exactly what City's number 17 did.
The technique De Bruyne used in caressing the ball into the bottom corner, with just enough curl to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga, was jaw-dropping.
De Bruyne is better known for his thunderous strikes, but this was a different, more gentle long-range effort. Since joining City he has scored 21 league goals from outside the box, more than any other player in the division in that time.
KDB did not actively use all of the ingredients in his goal, namely passing. But it was a fear of all the high-class skills he can call upon at any moment that made his Chelsea winner impossible to prevent.
Where does De Bruyne's latest goal ranks among his best? Follow our City Is Ours writer Alex Brotherton on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
