When Stoke City followed their hard-fought but hardly undeserved point from a 0-0 draw at the Etihad with a home defeat to Chelsea, even the most optimistic of Manchester City supporters probably decided to draw a line under 2016-17's largely ineffective "title push."
The manner of Chelsea's snatch-and-grab win at the bet365 Stadium also told many people that this is a side that is neither about to collapse within sight of the finishing line nor likely to run out of luck anytime soon.
Chelsea's performance last weekend matched their performances throughout the season: unrelenting, hyperorganised, riding their luck at times and killing the game off as soon as the right opportunity presented itself.