In what was a fairly dull atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City returned to winning ways as they eased past an injury-decimated Aston Villa.
From a soulless display against Arsenal at the weekend to a jubilant performance tonight offensively - much to the thanks of Phil Foden, who picked up a sublime hat-trick.
It was yet another typical, dominant display from the title favourites, who recorded 65% possession with 25 shots.
Foden wasn't the only headline grabber, as Rodri, who also got on the scoresheet, produced another scintillating and flawless display at the heart of midfield.
Here are four things we learned from Wednesday's clash.
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Foden yet again shows his class and maturity
Tonight's hat-trick makes it 21 goals this season in all competitions for the world-class Englishman who was undisputedly awarded TNT's Player of the Match award.
Let alone the hat-trick, the quality and aesthetic ease he displayed on the ball is a talent that Villa's two banks of four were simply unable to neutralise.
The 23-year-old served his defensive duties too, with three defensive actions and two tackles.
A wonderfully placed free kick right on the verge of half-time gave City the lead. In the second half, Foden continued to ooze class finishing first time from a brilliant bit of work from Rodri.
Third was pick of the bunch though - as he picked himself up from the ground and recovered the ball firing a rocket past Olsen.
He was quite simply the star of the show tonight. An outrageous talent.
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Consistency of Rodri which can't be taken for granted
Just behind Foden in shout for Player of the Match, Rodri produced yet another brilliant display from start to finish.
The reading, level of anticipation and physical threat the defensive midfielder showed again tonight is one that City fans have been used to seeing since his arrival, back in 2019.
The Spaniard did superbly to find City's first. Drifting into the box, losing all of the defenders, and firing his shot past Olsen.
His best piece of work came in build-up to Foden's second where he breezed past Moussa Diaby before producing an intricate bit of separation to make the pass to Foden.
It was another stellar performance from such a well-rounded midfielder. It doesn't come as a surprise to see the 27-year-old compared to legendary Sergio Busquets.
89% passing accuracy along with a goal and a stupendous assist. A top performance.
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'Typical City' can not be overlooked as title race heads to the wire
Arsenal's form and lesson learnt from last season will no doubt be at the centre of conversation in regards to the title race.
However, a five time Premier League winning side under Pep Guardiola should never be underestimated.
There have been moments this season where such a well-oiled machine have looked off the pace, most notably against the top five. But, experience of winning titles consistently can never be overlooked.
Tonight was a statement performance - a much needed bounce back to remind everyone that they will always remain firmly in the hunt despite still sitting third in the league.
Crucially, neither Erling Haaland nor Kevin De Bruyne featured this evening, which emphasised how capable and well-assembled this Manchester City side are even without their standout players.
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Villa still have a long way to go if they're to finish in the top 4
It wouldn't be silly to suggest that Aston Villa have shown expected signs of inconsistency this season in regards to their top-four push.
The defeat at the Etihad was a poor showing from Villa who struggled to get a sniff after City took control in the second half. But, Jhon Duran produced a positive showing after finishing from a somewhat difficult angle on his weaker foot.
There were worrying signs from senior players who haven't produced much of late. Nicolo Zaniolo and Douglas Luiz failed to impose themselves - let alone Moussa Diaby, who didn't once test Josko Gvardiol.
Albeit, the unavailability in the likes of Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins and John McGinn will always come as a huge collective miss to a side that's relied heavily on Watkins output this season.
Considering Tottenham Hotspur sit just two points behind with a game in hand, Unai Emery's side cannot afford to put in any more disjointed performances as they could very easily fall out of the top four in what has been a brilliant season.
