Man City may have apologised to Chelsea for playing their anthem 'One Step Beyond' after Sunday's mauling at the Etihad - but there was no sign of contrition regarding the nature of a win that left Maurizio Sarri's side shell-shocked.
While Pep Guardiola offered his backing to his under pressure counterpart, Aleks Zinchenko underlined the ruthless streak running through the Premier League champions as they pursue an unprecedented quadruple.
A Sergio Aguero hat-trick was at the heart of a 6-0 win that could have been so much worse for the visitors - and asked if he had any sympathy for Chelsea, Zinchenko's response was blunt.
“This can happen,” he said. “It’s football. You can score and concede. The English Premier League is the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be ready for each game.”
Aguero scored his 11thPremier League hat-trick to match Alan Shearer’s record and also fire Manchester City back to the top of the table.
Zinchenko claims Chelsea were blown away by the attacking brilliance of Guardiola’s side, with Aguero their spearhead in irresistible form.
“All I can is he’s a life legend,” said the winger. “He’s on fire at the moment and we are so happy for him. Absolutely a goal machine.
“It was a big performance from the lads. We played well a, bit lucky because we scored with almost every single chance at the beginning of the match. But I think that’s more about hard work in training sessions and not so much about luck.”
Raheem Sterling scored two, with Ilkay Gundogan getting the other as City moved back to the top on goal difference - but title rivals Liverpool have a game in hand.
Now Zinchenko is hoping Manchester United can deliver a potentially knockout blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side when the fierce rivals meet at Old Trafford in two weeks.
With City playing in the Carabao Cup final on the same day, Liverpool can move back to the top of the table with victory against United.
It would also serve as a major statement of intent in terms of the Merseysiders’ title credentials to take all three points from the Theatre of Dreams.
But with United resurgent under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – winning 10 out of 11 since he took over – Zinchenko is hoping they can continue that form and deliver a huge boost to City’s own title ambitions.
“We are still fighting for the title and we have to have full focus on our game,” he said. “I hope Liverpool are going to drop some points in the next game, but first we have to focus on us.
“Hopefully we can win every title. We are going to fight for every one of them. Hopefully we can win all four.”
