Manchester City’s standout feature was demonstrated last night against Southampton, by their standout player of the season, Raheem Sterling.

The ability to turn draws/ defeats into victories.

Games like last night define title winners. While others may have thrown the towel in and accepted their destiny with the scores tied at 1-1 with merely seconds to play, City refused to do so. And you can see just what that meant to the man with the blueprint plan, Pep Guardiola.

This is a Guardiola side entirely dissimilar to the one we became accustomed to in his debut season, that were dodgy defensively, displayed a lack of hunger to win and possessed a weak team spirit.

As Sterling curled in a 96th minute winner to snatch all three points from a resilient and robust Southampton side, the stadium erupted.

It was almost reminiscent of Sergio Aguero’s historic and unforgettable title winning goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2012, an emphatic finish that brought the Sky Blues their first Premier League trophy in the most dramatic fashion. The raw emotion felt after the ball sailed past Fraser Forster in goal, truly illustrates that the fans realised what this meant, more than ever.

City mean business.

Guardiola and his coaching staff, accompanied by first team substitutes and even the injured Benjamin Mendy, who is out for nine months with a ruptured ACL, charged onto the pitch with their arms flailing aimlessly. The Catalan manager was so caught up in the sheer euphoria; he himself wasn’t even sure of what to do.

This was not just a routine home win to mark 12 successive league victories on the bounce, nor was it a lucky last minute goal.

This is what champions are made of.

And the man at the heart of the drama, Sterling, has relaunched his City career, that seemed dead and buried only last campaign.

His swift turnaround at the club has been nothing short of remarkable.

The 22-year-old netted ten goals in 47 matches last season in all competitions. Whereas this term, the former Liverpool man has already surpassed that total, in some 28 games fewer.

Sterling has rescued the Citizens on various occasions since August, which has seen him shape into a key figure in the team. The pacey winger netted a stoppage time winner during gameweek two against Bournemouth to seal all three points, as well as recently repeating this habit against Feyenoord (88th minute), Huddersfield (82nd minute), and now Southampton (96th minute).

It appears that the Sky Blues manager has got the very best of a player that looked to be a lost cause.  His struggling and stuttering start to life at the Etihad has become a thing of the past, as new heights are reached each game he features in.

Pep’s ‘pep talks’ appear to have worked wonders. Working on the youngster’s off the ball positioning has been imperative for Guardiola, as making him more aware of his surroundings has enabled him to be more efficient in front of goal.  The starting position he now adopts, thanks to Guardiola’s guidance, is allowing for more time and space on the ball, which consequently increases the chance of a successful attack.

Last night’s three points maintains City’s unbeaten record this season. Based on current circumstances, it would take something special for anyone to come close to halting their relentless charge to the summit.

Next weekend’s Manchester derby will be a defining moment. A chance to go potentially 11 points clear, or have the gap slashed to five is what’s at stake.

As each City match draws to its conclusion, there is a reoccurring theme: Sky Blues fans are left counting the rising points difference that sets them apart as runaway leaders. While the chasing pack disregard first place week by week, as it grows increasingly out of reach, only to be referred to as a distant dream.

Tom Cavilla.