Whatever the future holds for Manchester City, no matter what comes next, regardless of what judgement awaits from the Court of Arbitration of Sport, this was a reminder to live in the present and enjoy what you can.
City were superb, thrilling to watch, a pleasure to support. This was Pep Guardiola’s team in full flow, attacking at speed and from every angle. Swaggering and strutting, a team of adventure, invention and possibility.
It was Kevin De Bruyne at his imperious best, it was David Silva picking holes, Bernardo Silva making them, it was Sergio Aguero lurking, Gabriel Jesus menacing, Rodrigo strolling and a defence untroubled. City were classy, City were slick, City were superior in every way to West Ham. They played with the ball, West Ham ran after it. At times. it barely looked fair, let alone a contest.
This is what City have built with all their money, this is the City Guardiola has created and this is the City team that might not remain together. This was fun, yet it was also a distraction.
The threats remain and what promised to be relatively straight forward summer rebuild, could be far more complicated if they are fighting to keep players as well as buy them.
Behind the veneer of City’s calm, there is troubling unease. While those at the top may well believe they are going to win their appeal against Uefa’s two-year ban for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, that the risk of being kicked out of the Champions League will be removed and they can continue with this project unhindered, the truth is nobody knows for sure.
There is doubt and there is worry because nothing is definite anymore. Lose the appeal and City will suffer at least some sort of decline, there will be disruption, unsure whether manager Pep Guardiola will continue, unlikely to keep all their best players if the club is forced into European exile. It will be temporary, a setback, but severe damage could still be done.
For the players, as with the fans, all they can do is wait, try to ignore questions about what the future holds and focus on the here and now. That is what Guardiola will have spent the last week telling them, urging them to block out the noise, avoid worrying about things out of their control like a court case. Whatever happens, it does not matter now, not this month or next and they have much to play for before it does.
There was a sense of pent up frustration in the way they started against West Ham. When things happen off the pitch that unsettle them, footballers want to play, not train. They want the intensity of battle, not the monotony of team meetings and conversations. This was their first competitive football for more than two weeks and whatever has built up over the last fortnight was unleashed on the Hammers.
City should have taken the lead swiftly, Sergio Aguero prodding a shot wide before Gabriel Jesus made a mess of a one on one chance with Lukasz Fabinaski. The through ball from Kevin De Bruyne was sublime, precise and perfectly weighted, all Jesus had to do was steer his shot beyond the goalkeeper, but he decided to try and dance around him, got the ball stuck under his feet and the defence got back to force him wide.
The home fans in a sparsely populated stadium were angry rather than disappointed, howling at the Brazilian. They have been waiting for the football to return just as fervently and this was not the time to mess around.
When Jesus hesitated again inside the area and another shot was blocked, the groans grew louder. Aguero tried to show him how it should be done, but Fabianski saved.
City were utterly dominant, West Ham trapped, pinned, covering up and waiting for the punches to land. And they did, City finally taking the lead with their 12th effort on goal in the opening half an hour, De Bruyne corner headed in by Rodrigo.
Now the City fans could chant and sing. Uefa were told where to go, Guardiola was serenaded, and all seemed well with the world again. At least for a while, at least while the team put on a show.
West Ham must have feared they would be on the receiving end of something like this, yet this was too passive, too submissive. City could not have asked for better opponents, Jesus forcing another save from Fabianski from another De Bruyne special - driving forward with ball attached to feet, the pass played with the outside of the boot. Imagine the harm done if the Belgian leaves, if he quits… No, this was not the time for that, that can wait.
City lead at half time was only one goal, their domination was not reflected in the score and Aguero could not make it so, missing the bottom corner by millimetres at the start of the second half.
West Ham were still in the game, but not really. The scoreboard was deceptive, City were going to win and De Bruyne eventually got the important second goal, a clever finish that beat Fabianski at his near post.
It had been coming, it was inevitable, it was City’s 18th shot on goal and if there is any cause for criticism, they are still missing far too many chances. It will cost them against better teams than relegation haunted West Ham, not least Real Madrid next week.
City do not know if this will be their last chance to win the Champions League until 2023, but it will not do any harm for them to think it is. After all, why wait for something when you can enjoy it now?
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