Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson was Pep Guardiola's hero after a brilliant double save in the final five minutes
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THE City is theirs. The Premier League title is theirs.
Manchester City, marching 11 points clear of their rivals at the top of the table, have just put their nearest challengers away.
In time, perhaps we will talk about the outstanding side of an era, a generation, possibly ever.
This is 14 successive wins in the Premier League for City and there is no telling when anybody will be able to stop them.
Jose Mourinho, serial winner, serial champion, has to stomach this.
The gulf is vast, so vast that the Special One must wonder whether he has enough resources to close the gap.
It was too big at Old Trafford.
The defeat, Mourinho's first in 41 matches here, is a real eye-opener.
Marcos Rojo was flattened after committing a foul on David Silva
They surrendered to a side with too much class.
They did it with goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi, twice taking the lead at the Theatre of Dreams.
When they went in front a second time, there was no turning back.
United had equalised deep into first half injury time when Marcus Rashford took advantage of some poor defending.
It was their only highlight.
This is a massive win for Pep, proof that they could overcome the occasional stutter, such as defeat against Shakhar Donetsk, to reset and start over again.
They did just that here.
City went in front, and rightly so.
The passing, the possession, the mentality was a world away from United.
They got it via a set-piece, a corner from Kevin de Bruyne that was hooked in off the boot of David Silva.
These dead balls are supposed to be United’s speciality, the one thing in their favour going into a game as big as this.
Instead, City were beating United at their own game.
They won the corner in the build up to the opening goal when David de Gea tipped Leroy Sane’s 41st minute effort over the bar.
Romelu Lukaku failed to hold off Otamendi at the corner and Silva swept in City’s first from close range.
It was a lead Pep’s side deserved.
They held United at arm’s length, restricting them in a first half dominated by those blue shirt buzzing across the playing surface at OT.
Raheem Sterling was excellent, causing havoc across United’s backline whenever he was in control.
It was beginning to feel like City’s day.
There will be repercussions, certainly reputational, for Gabriel Jesus after he threw himself to the ground in search of a penalty.
The City forward’s run had taken him into the area when he slalomed his way past Ander Herrera and Rojo before launching himself into the night sky.
He has been playing here long enough to know that sort of stuff is not tolerated in English football.
Mourinho, jabbering away at fourth official Jonathan Moss, had a point.
By then, this was all City.
The Stretford End got involved, with chants of “attack, attack, attack” rolling off the terraces.
Finally, they did.
They got the equaliser in first half injury time when Rashford scored a lovely goal.
Rojo sent in a deep crossfield pass that Fabian Delph mis-controlled after Otamendi misjudged the flight of the ball.
Rashford was switched on, flickering into life to stick United’s goal beyond Emerson.
Game on.
Mourinho made his first change at the break, reluctantly sacrificing Rojo after he injured his head in a first half collision with Silva.
It was a messy challenge, booked for leading with his elbow when they both went up for a header.
They patched him up to see out the half, but Victor Lindelof came on to replace him after the break.
Pep made a switch as well, with captain Vincent Kompany replaced by Ilkay Gundogan.
