There were one or two games that were harder than they perhaps looked on paper, but the football continued to be sublime and the goals flowed.
The international break ate up the first fortnight, so it wasn’t until the 14th that Premier League action resumed at home to Stoke – but what a return it proved to be.
The news on Benjamin Mendy wasn’t good, with the French left-back ruled out for six months - the City players paid tribute to their injured team-mate by wearing #sharkteam T-shirts during the warm-up.
If Mark Hughes’ side were hoping the break would affect the Blues’ momentum, they were in for something of a rude awakening.
City were three up inside half-an-hour, yet despite being totally outplayed, the Potters scored twice in three minutes either side of the break to somehow gain a foothold in the game.
It was like a champion boxer receiving an unexpected uppercut and for a few minutes, the Premier League leaders wobbled before shifting up a couple of gears with three goals in six minutes in and around the hour-mark,
added a seventh on 79 minutes and Stoke were lucky to leave having only conceded seven.
City then hosted Napoli in the Champions League and again quickly established a healthy lead as Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus both scored within 13 minutes.
But the Italians clawed their way back into the game and ultimately only narrowly lost 2-1. The win meant the Blues had taken nine points from nine and were already close to securing a place in the Round of 16.
Burnley were next up in a series of four successive home games, and the visitors complained long and loudly that the penalty awarded on Bernardo was harsh – the Clarets had defended well to that point, but Sergio Aguero dispatched the penalty and late goals from Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane gave the final score a more comprehensive look.
Aguero had now equalled Eric Brook’s 177 goals as well as the Argentine continued to write his own chapter in the Club’s history.
Wolves completed the quartet of home games with a Carabao Cup fourth round tie and the Championship leaders proved more than a match for a much-changed City side.
The visitors had three good chances to win the game in normal time and paid the price for their profligacy, eventually losing 4-1 on penalties after the game ended goalless with Claudio Bravo the hero, saving two of the Wolves efforts.
The Blues wrapped up the month by travelling to West Brom for the second time in five months.
Leroy Sane was again on target as City took the early initiative, but Solomon Rondon levelled shortly after.
The hosts’ joy was short-lived as a deflected Fernandinho shot squeezed in via the post and Sterling’s goal after the break effectively sealed the victory – though a late Matt Phillips goal caused one or two flutters in the seconds that remained.
The Blues were top of the Premier League, top of our Champions League group and into the last eight of the Carabao Cup and had won 13 games in a row – things couldn’t have been going much better.
Played: 5 Won: 5 Drawn: 0 Lost: 0 For: 15 Against: 5
Etihad Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne
