If you told a Manchester City fan, after losing at Tottenham in November left them eight points off the top of the Premier League, that they wouldn't taste defeat for another three and a half months, they'd have definitely taken it.
If that meant losing another home derby against United, it would be a more difficult choice. But a head-over-heart approach would probably accept a 28-game unbeaten streak to go 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League, a swing of 19 points from where City were on their journey back from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Derby defeat on Sunday was difficult to take, especially as City were as poor as United were impressive. It was a result that City brought upon themselves with under-par performances across the starting XI.
However, as Pep Guardiola insisted after the game, the bigger picture is more important.
He said: "We lost and that will be the news, but the [real] news is 21 victories in a row."
So let's look at the real news and reflect on a record-breaking run that saw City rewrite English football history and take control of the Premier League title race. These are the records and statistics from a defining 28-game streak:
Games without defeat (all competitions): 28 games - equalled club record
Consecutive wins (all competitions): 21 - new club record and new English top flight record
Total wins: 25
Goals scored: 66
Goals conceded: 9
Clean sheets: 19
League games without trailing: 19 - equalled Premier League record
Consecutive league wins from the start of a calendar year: 13 - new English top flight record
Consecutive away wins in all competitions: 12 - new English top flight record (ongoing)
