City, tearing Cockneys apart again. And again.
Never mind every week, Manchester City might be asking to play Chelsea every game after the boost they can take from another victory over the West London club - and two very different wins.
Thursday brought the suspense of a tight Premier League game, the horror at a wildcard formation gone wrong, and the joy and relief at the recovery job. Sunday's game saw opposing supporters leaving their seats before half-time with a contest already replaced by a potential rout.
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If Pep Guardiola was busier than usual at Stamford Bridge, with the comforts of home he could simply stand back and watch as every decision he made came off. Roll on Southampton on Wednesday.
City had made seven changes and Chelsea six to signify the relatively reduced importance of this competition, with Sergio Gomez coming in from the cold to start at left-back and Julian Alvarez making his first start since winning the World Cup with Argentina. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were among those who loomed large on the bench.
Not that they were needed. Alvarez set the tone early on by chasing down a clearance from Kepa Arrizabalaga before Thursday's matchwinner began to influence the game.
Riyad Mahrez had given notice of his intent when skinning Chelsea youngster Lewis Hall early on, and promptly proceeded to give his side control of the game. The free-kick from distance to put them 1-0 was the highlight, but the overall play and the conversion of a penalty made it one of his best performances of the season.
Mahrez more than most may wish to play Chelsea more often - 50 per cent of his goals for City this season have come against them - and his double triumph this week has been a lesson for Kalvin Phillips, Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden, Kyle Walkers and others that haven't been in favour recently. Like Phillips, the Algerian was publicly castigated this season by his manager for being overweight but has responded in style with an all-action display that even included key tackles in his own half; when Guardiola is considering his team to play in the derby, Mahrez should be prominent in his thoughts.
If City's No.26 is back setting standards in the squad, so too is Alvarez. He may have been gifted a penalty by a silly handball from Kai Havertz that was given by referee Rob Jones after being encouraged by the VAR team to look again but he displayed a calmness to score it that has been lacking from too many City takers in recent years.
Kepa, showing surprising confidence for a man who forgot to use his hands on Thursday when Jack Grealish passed into the box for Riyad Mahrez, did his best to put Alvarez off with his best Emi Martinez impersonation. Alvarez, who must be used to putting up with the real deal in Argentina training, simply laughed it off and stuck it in the net.
The handball caught the Chelsea manager swearing and the away section was similarly blue minutes later when the home team cut through them with ease to allow Kyle Walker to square for Phil Foden to turn home a third. Boos came at half-time from those visiting fans that hadn't already left, with the stand noticeably more empty when the second half began.
This was the stuff of nightmare for Chelsea and the performance that City fans had hoped for on Thursday: a ruthless dismantling of a weakened opponent to pour more pressure on a rival, with chants in favour of Roman Abramovic and Thomas Tuchel in the second half from the away fans doing little to give confidence to Todd Boehly or Graham Potter. City supporters could gleefully taunt with the game over as a contest long before the final whistle went.
As if things could not have gone better for Guardiola in the first half with good performances from Foden and Walker as they look to build their minutes, he was able to completely rest Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Erling Haaland. With a gruelling schedule ahead, that could be crucial.
The changes also gave Kalvin Phillips and Joao Cancelo a good 35 minutes in the second half. With Phillips also pencilled in to start at Southampton in the league cup on Wednesday, his City career could finally get the lift-off it has been craving.
News before the game that the winners of this tie would probably face Arsenal in the next round drew some trepidation from Blues still struck down by Typical Cityitis, yet this week's double thumping of a wounded Chelsea reinforces the reputation of this City team as one you should never bet against. Arsenal have never won at the Etihad during Guardiola's time at the club, in which time the Catalan has built up the image of City as a Quadruple-chasing monster that is almost impossible to get the better of.
It feels like a long time ago since seven days that there were clear frustrations both from the players and the fans after a 1-1 draw with Everton on New Year's Eve that left plenty feeling advantage had been ceded to Arsenal in the title race. When people ask what the value of going strong in the cup competitions, the transformation of the mood at the Etihad is a big one.
Guardiola said before these two games that City had to be good enough to win the games if they had any hope of catching Arsenal in the league. With a double over Chelsea completed and four big opportunities to relish against Spurs and the Gunners (providing they get past Oxford) in the next five weeks, hopes of tearing Cockneys apart again have been given renewed hope.
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