My only negative from tonight was the silly music after each goal!
If that's an issue, you must really hate the crowd noise throughout the game. I always play a 30 second long tune while celebrating, during the replays. It's standard practice in many countries, with or without a crowd. We had it after the goals in Madrid. So I like the idea, though the tune could be better. I'm sure we have more than enough fan songs for Peter McDowell to choose from.
Earlier in the week, we had other posters arguing City were better and more exciting to watch than us. Here, the opposition were so overwhelmed by our team that they couldn't get into our box. Indeed, for most of the game, they did well to get out of their own box, let alone cross the halfway line. If it was a boxing event, it would have been stopped before half time on humanitarian grounds. Free kicks, piledrivers, long passes, through balls, the goals flowed and it was a walkover. Atkinson's last appearance here saw him let the opposition score from a free kick when we were not ready. This time, Alexander Arnold showed him how it should be done. It was in from the moment it cleared the wall. Salah and Mane added more goals in their mission to win the Golden Boot, while Fabinho reminded us that anything Kompany can do, he can match. Atkinson however still thought that 8 second half subs, a cooling break and other stoppages only added up to 3 minutes stoppage time. Maybe his watch stopped for all the stoppages, rather than him doing it himself.
If we can't win the league in our house, it honestly doesn't matter whether we win it on the pitch or not, there's nobody to celebrate it with either way. But I said months ago that if we can possibly win the league before we have to go to City and get a result there, I would take that, and I stand by that. Sky may not be very happy about it, but I want the title tonight. I would rather be reminded of who was No. 1 and the price of a pint of milk every few minutes, than how many years it has been for the next week. We've waited for it more than long enough. I want to win it as early as possible, by as many points as possible, breaking as many records as possible, setting a new bar in games and points won, and then stuff it down the throats of all the pundits and experts who crowned City champions before a ball was kicked, and wanted the season null and void. They know who they are.
Just let's get our hands on the EPL trophy by the earliest means possible, I say. If we go to the Etihad as champions, our boys get the guard of honour. (God, how that's gonna hurt them). We will play in relaxed fashion, treading on air. City will probably rest players with the league already decided, and the FA Cup match upcoming for them. Pep will protect his run at the FA Cup, as the second biggest domestic trophy. Then we get awarded the EPL trophy in front of the City players and get to parade in front of them. (Massive switching off of TV sets all over Manchester at about this point in proceedings). Sorry to disagree; I'm just too hungry for this right now.
Steady.
The players won't get so much as a handshake, let alone a guard of honour. There'll be no sign of that trophy until after the Chelsea game either. The presentation itself will be unlike any we've ever seen before.
We'll manage.