It was the moment of casual class Pep Guardiola was relying on.

Kevin de Bruyne’s cleverly-clipped assist, David Silva smuggling himself into the land of the giants to pocket the three points.

He denied it but, for Guardiola, this was a minor gamble, this was a performance that nodded a little towards Old Trafford, 4.30pm, next Sunday.

Even this small bit of tinkering with team selection, Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany on the bench, could have backfired.

But now, it is all set up.

If Manchester City win there, if they record a 14th consecutive Premier League victory, the title race will officially be a procession.

David Silva volleys home the late winner for City (
Image:
Manchester City FC)
City's late show sets up their clash with Manchester United perfectly (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

Never mind Guardiola lauding the form of Chelsea, of United, of Liverpool, he knows a decisive blow can be landed as early as December 10.

It promises to be compelling viewing, it promises to be the most rigorous of tests for these two celebrated coaches and rivals.

If he was watching this, and you can be sure he was, Jose Mourinho will find it hard to gauge City’s level of form.

Are three consecutive narrow victories against teams in the bottom half of the table evidence of a less fluent, less devastating, less savage, less clinical City?

Or are those wins, all earned by late goals, evidence of a team remorseless in both its belief and its ability to score at crucial times?

It is the latter.

Silva celebrates with his provider for the winner Kevin De Bruyne (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)
Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho were left on the bench against the Hammers (
Image:
Clive Brunskill)

Guardiola believes that quality will eventually tell.

He believes that De Bruyne will not let a frustrating afternoon stop him curling a lofted pass between centre-halves.

He believes that Silva will not be deterred by the horror of one or two misplaced passes and will make the intelligent run and apply the intelligent volley that clinched triumph for City.

He believes Gabriel Jesus will come on for the second half and make a striking difference.

He believes Jesus has the sort of instinct that chooses the right option, chooses the pass for Nicolas Otamendi to slide in the equaliser early in the second half.

Guardiola celebrates another close victory with his Etihad faithful (
Image:
REUTERS)
Nicolas Otamendi showed his top-scoring strikers how it's done for the equaliser (
Image:
REUTERS)

Guardiola is looking like a coach with increasing belief in this squad, even if they are not keeping the scoreboard whirring like they were earlier in the season.

That City have not been as prolific can be attributed to a host of factors.

Sergio Aguero is labouring a little, Leroy Sane looked a little casual here, De Bruyne’s class shines but not as luminously as it has for large parts of the campaign.

These are small things, the big thing is the quality of the bus-parking.

West Ham defended excellently. Adrian made a decent case to be retained and made a handful of camera-friendly saves but none you would not expect him to make.

Leroy Sane proves a handful for Pablo Zabaleta (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

David Moyes’ side were not carved open time after time.

Indeed, they themselves had opportunities to supplement the one splendidly taken by Angelo Ogbonna when he leapt to apply an emphatic headed finish to Aaron Cresswell’s cross, not least when Diafra Sakho flashed a very late equalising chance wide.

But like Southampton before them, like Huddersfield before them, they found that City are always likely to navigate a winning way through a forest of tacklers and blockers.

One day, they will not. They will be held by a monumental defensive effort, they might even lose to one, succumbing to the sort of set-piece sucker-punch inflicted by West Ham.

Mourinho shakes hands with Wenger after getting the better of the Arsenal boss again (
Image:
David Price)

Most of the time, though, they will find a way.

So, it is over to Jose. There will be no bus-parking at home, United are too good for that anyway.

Yet even though they have come through to keep this remarkable winning streak going, Mourinho will have seen how City can be frustrated by organised, muscular defending.

He knows there is a fine balance to be struck between adventure and between caution.

He also knows that if he does not get the balance right, the title race could be as good as over before Christmas.

Game on.

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