Pep Guardiola has said a few times that if his Manchester City side dropped points the Premier League title race would be “almost over”.
And while the amount of games left may offer the Blues some hope that they can still overhaul Liverpool, optimism will not be the overriding emotion after a damaging defeat at a Newcastle side managed by former Reds manager Rafa Benitez.
It will feel as if the roof has fallen in on a campaign that promised so much. A wobble over Christmas saw City’s slender lead over Liverpool turn into a seven-point deficit, and with the Reds set to play Leicester on Wednesday it could now increase to seven – effectively eradicating City’s victory when the two sides met early in January.