Manchester City moved 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday evening thanks to a 2-0 win against Brentford but Pep Guardiola's side had to work for it.
The Blues showed that patience really is a virtue as they repeatedly probed a resolute and compact Brentford defence but, in the end, a mistimed challenge and a mistake from the goalkeeper allowed Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne to seal the win.
However, his side's ability to patiently find a way through well-organised opposition was not the only aspect of the performance that pleased Guardiola. One particular moment from his Belgian maestro showed everyone the quality most important in this City side.
City were 1-0 up in the 64th minute when Brentford launched a rare counter-attack. Bryan Mbeumo had just come off the bench for the visitors and was full of energy, so when he was played in behind City's centre-backs near the halfway line, it looked like he had a clear run to goal.
The way in which Guardiola's side commit so many bodies forward - particularly when trying to break down compact, low-block defences like Brentford's - and play with such a high defensive line does make them vulnerable to counter-attacks but, as De Bruyne showed, there is one non-negotiable trait in Guardiola's players that allows them to deal with such threats.
De Bruyne is known primarily for his attacking prowess and technical brilliance but at that moment, there was only one thing that he needed to do. From a position about five yards behind the breaking Mbeumo, he charged back, realising that colleague John Stones needed some assistance.
As the striker was shepherded to the left side of the penalty area by a tag-team of Stones and Ruben Dias, De Bruyne didn't let up. Eventually, Mbeumo realised that his route to goal had been shut off but as he turned back in search of a teammate, there was De Bruyne to nick the ball away and quash the danger.
Attacking players tracking back is nothing out of the ordinary for City, as it forms a key part of their strategy for coping with inevitable counter-attacks.
"They have to do it - everyone - otherwise they don't play in this team," Guardiola told BBC Radio 5 Live when asked about De Bruyne's lung-busting effort to muck in.
"After if you are brilliant, good passes or no passes, it doesn't matter. But the effort to fight and run and play, that was incredible."
Pretty much every game we see at least one opposition breakaway halted by Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, De Bruyne or any of City's other glittering stars. De Bruyne's contribution came at a particularly key moment though.
Five minutes after the incident, the Belgian got back to doing what he does best - stroking City into a 2-0 lead - but things could have been different had he not put in the mileage at the other end of the pitch.
Had Brentford equalised from that counter-attack, who knows how the game would have ended; one of City's biggest weapons is demoralising their opponents through sustained pressure but a potential point would have given the visitors something to really hang on to. If they had, then City's lead at the top of the table could have shrunk further.
City are always lauded for their creativity and dynamism in attack but it is arguably their commitment and collective work rate that makes them the near-unbeatable team that they are. As Guardiola said, anyone who doesn't pull their weight is out of the team.
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