Pass, pass, pass, pausa , overlapping or underlapping run, byline, low cross, tap-in.
We all know what the classic Manchester City goal looks like.
This season, without a recognised striker, out-and-out goal poaching is not something Pep Guardiola’s side can rely upon and, given the amount of corners they win and the presence of Rodri, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte, the Premier League champions would ideally score a little more often from set-pieces.
City might have hit the top of the table for the first time this season thanks to Saturday’s 3-1 win over Watford, but they are still being out-scored by Chelsea and Liverpool.
Now, this might not be the case for long if Bernardo Silva keeps up his sensational current form, but a bit more variety in terms of routes to goal would be welcome.
Raheem Sterling’s early opener at Vicarage Road showcased the brilliant, flat switches of play City have used to unpick opponents when loading the flanks this term.
But there was something suddenly and pleasingly familiar about how Bernardo made it two before half-time.
“We are a machine in the counter-attack, looks like Liverpool,” Guardiola joked on Friday when discussing the various glorious elements of the Portugal playmaker’s volleyed goal-of-the-season contender against Aston Villa in midweek.
Guardiola knows the sort of attacks most associated with his players and they are certainly not the type of lightning breakaways you see more often from Jurgen Klopp’s or Thomas Tuchel’s sides.
A lack of cutting edge on the counter has frustrated City fans, with the post-Leroy Sane years feeling like a bit of a barren wasteland in this regard.
But now they are starting to show their teeth.
Bernardo was again the man to apply the finishing touch on Saturday, scoring after City scythed through opponents who had left themselves slightly exposed at a frightening pace.
There really is no reason why City shouldn’t do this sort of thing more often. Direct, pacey wingers like Sterling and Foden, combined with incisive passers like Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, along with midfielders such as Bernardo and Ilkay Gundogan who their runs into the box to perfection - it should be a counter-attacking dream.
The eventual 3-1 scoreline undoubtedly flattered Claudio Ranieri’s side and City’s wastefulness in front of goal will be a huge talking point if they do anything other than lift a fourth league title in five seasons, such is the overall mastery of their play right now.
But Guardiola is seeing a new clinical side to his team on the counter-attack, which could also prove to be a decisive ingredient later on in the campaign in pursuit of the Champions League holy grail.
Either way, it is another thrilling reason for this sparkling, swaggering Manchester City side to be feared by all comers.
