First and foremost, it was fantastic to see a sellout crowd at the Etihad for the FA Cup game against Fulham.
Manchester City were mocked by the usual weirdos when they announced ticket prices starting at £15 for adults, £10 for concessions and £1 for kids, but produced a full house against a Championship team they have an extremely long winning record against in a match where the chances Pep Guardiola starting any young players was slim to none.
Even without going into the circumstances specific to City and their supporters, anyone who wants to make cheap points about making football tickets affordable at a time when the cost of living is set to be the worst for over 30 years needs to stop being so ignorant.
Having pulled in the punters, City and their opponents did not disappoint.
Fulham started exactly like you would expect the most prolific team in the top four divisions to, with Liverpool target Fabio Carvalho firing past Zack Steffen in the fourth minute to leave a strong home team stunned. In doing so, they followed Southampton's example to show that the Blues are vulnerable if you are good enough and fearless enough to expose their weaknesses.
The Premier League champions quickly recovered though, levelling instantly through Ilkay Gundogan and then taking the lead in the 12th minute when John Stones headed home from a corner.
And while the goals did not continue at a rate of one every four minutes, the action and excitement carried on as neither team let up. There were goalmouth scrambles and players squaring up to each other on top of the additional two goals that came before the referee blew time on a thoroughly entertaining afternoon at the Etihad.
A match that already looked like great value for money for those attending was made even better for the actions of the players, and even better for those fans or neutrals listening to or watching the action from afar.
One of the many holes in the sieve-like argument that this City team are boring are the many games that they are involved in that are fantastic to watch. From thrilling contests like the 2-2 draw at Anfield to the last-minute win at the Emirates, from tense victories over Chelsea to Champions League goalfests, there is a lot about City on the pitch for everyone to like.
After this afternoon, the Blues will hope that those in attendance are happy enough to return again for the next game, and the next, and the next. Equally, supporters should be able to think that if the club knows what happens when they keep ticket prices low the arguments for raising them become more difficult.
Everyone should agree that the longer City can provide such value for money, the better.
