Pep Guardiola is not a man for predictions, so it was unusual to hear him confidently say that this title race would not come down to goal difference a little over a week ago.
Manchester City were trailing by a few at that point - but not anymore. Nine unanswered goals later, they now stand four clear of Liverpool in that regard.
Guardiola will be far more occupied by their three-point advantage, yet the way in which City went about slaughtering Newcastle in the final quarter of this suggests they fancy a bit of extra comfort too.