And that, my lads, is the performance of a team that is hungry for another trophy.
Couple of general points first. The defence played the offside like a metronome. Really superb. They've often got it wrong this season, but not today. Everyone just fine, excellent performance by Clichy, creditable by Demichelis (can we admit that, please? Just this once?) Joe Hart, solid as a rock when called upon. His silly season a distant memory.
But that midfield! That midfield!! I just keep marvelling. At ten against eleven it was vital to keep possession, to dictate the game at our pace rather than letting them run away with it. Not one hint of panic, at any stage. Did anybody else savour those five, six - seven! - man interchanges, cool as you fuck, throughout the first half and for much of the second? It was unbelievable. We made them look as though they were a man down. And this brings me to the Magician, the man at the heart of just about everything we do. Is there anything left to say about Merlin? Superb goal, superb assist. O.k, so much is obvious, although not ever to be taken for granted. But did everybody notice the huge, monumental shift, 110%, that he put in, especially in the first half? Yes, you did. He was here, there, and every fucking where, tracking back, harrying, marking, tackling, breaking with the ball. Arguably his best performance of the season in a season of stellar performances. With Vinny gone, everyone knew that they had to step up a gear, but he stepped up two gears. At least. We could have won this game 4-0, with one man down. Think about the quality and guts that that shows.
Now a couple of very minor grouses. Silly reaction by Vinny, in my absolute honest opinion. Yes, he is fouled first, and that should be a card on the Hull player. But he is no novice, he is an experienced international. And you don't react. Second, it's not even a grouse. Yaya is virtually dead on his feet. He had nothing in the tank in the second half. He must be rested against Fulham, the schedule he's been on this season has been inhuman. Milner to step up please. Or someone. But give Yaya two weeks off, Mr. Pellegrini, so that he comes back like an Exocet for the final run-in.