The touchline celebrations had that little bit extra. Elongated, certainly. Manchester City knew they had been in a fight and that their Quadruple chances looked over until an intervention from the bench.
There were similar scenes in Gelsenkirchen four weeks ago. Pep Guardiola found himself in a long embrace with chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and Txiki Begiristain after dramatically beating Schalke.
Again, they came from behind after looking bereft at Swansea. Again, they left with a result. Again, it felt like a significant moment.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva believes Manchester City are capable of winning the quadruple
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits he is 'tired' following a hectic schedule
City have issues: reacting to adversity and navigating a way out of the fog. But they have an abundance of resolve and, while this was against a team 15th in the Championship, another comeback serves to invigorate.
From here, a domestic Treble looks eminently achievable. Anything less would be a slight disappointment given Manchester United fell out of the FA Cup a couple of hours later.
The City manager and his squad whisked themselves off on holiday immediately afterwards, to recharge their batteries.
'I'm tired,' Guardiola conceded after 19 games since the turn of the year. 'I prefer to be in that position, honestly. But tomorrow you will not find me in Manchester, I assure you.'
Some others will be. Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy are all staying put to recover from various injuries, most of which should clear before a trip to Fulham on March 30.
Guardiola hopes that his players won't suffer any injuries while on international duty
John Stones will meet up with England purely to check on his injury. Those who are fit but not going away were given a fitness programme for the next seven days but are not expected at the City Football Academy.
So, there is a little bit of rest. Key players are stopping, whereas Liverpool, the other
