This tale of two cities was always destined to have just one ending.
And that involved 46,000 home fans journeying home accompanied by a smile after their side bounced back into the thick of the title race following a self-inflicted but luckless defeat at Chelsea.
Four goals in the opening 36 minutes were ample reward for a dominant home side who sliced through a dispirited opposition at will.
They added three more in the second period just to add an exclamation mark and set a new stadium best in the Premier League.
Sergio Aguero, the dazzling 150-watt smile back as a constant feature after the scowls of last season, and Samir Nasri were untouchable and David Silva not far behind them as the home side cruised into an unassailable lead.
The opener came in the 16th minute after some surgical probing. Nasri and Aguero both tried their luck but saw their efforts blocked, lastly by Michael Turner who had the misfortune to see the ball ricochet back into the net off either Bradley Johnson or Aguero. It was hard to discern.
Not so the second one three minutes later when slippery Silva put the finishing touches to some more fine work by Aguero to make it 2-0 with a rare strike.
It wasn’t as uncommon as the origins of the third goal in the 24th minute which came from the head of Matija Nastasic, his first in the Premier League, though John Ruddy in the Norwich goal will have felt he could have done better.
The fourth in the 36th minute was the best of the quartet. Fernandinho, Silva, Yaya Toure and Aguero all had a foot in a wonderful slick, one-touch build up before the Beast Alvaro Negredo netted from close range.
Norwich arrived with their confidence in tatters and their manager in the spotlight and the opening forty-five minutes hardly helped either.
They shipped in four at Arsenal and the same number at Old Trafford in their previous two forays away from Carrow Road.
They tried to be much tighter here, hunting in packs and but there were simply too many classy ball players and too much brain allied to brawn in the Sky Blue ranks for any other outcome other than a rousing, emphatic home win.
After making ten changes for the trip to Newcastle in midweek Manuel Pellegrini made ten more for this game. Only goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon retained a starting berth ahead of Joe Hart who was on the bench.
Of course the dropping of England’s undisputed number one goalkeeper is a story but it is hard not to believe the column inches and phone-in minutes used up dissecting the subject have been a little over the top.
Besides, all sportsmen and women have ups and downs in form. Most footballers will be dropped or rested numerous times in their lengthy careers. It’s part of the allure of the sport for those watching but is best kept in proportion. Joe Hart remains a top class goalkeeper.
Hart was joined on the bench by a host of other internationals who also have to be patient and take a rest in their stride.
Having laid down such an emphatic marker the Sky Blues were in no mood to let go
Yaya Toure blasted in one of the free kicks that he seemed to have made his own this season and then after a fine cross by Silva and horrible error by Sebastien Bassong , Aguero got his just rewards for an all-action effort with a fine sixth from close to the penalty spot.
The floodgates firmly off their hinges, Pellegrini was able to ring the changes and playmakers Nasri and Silva, who vied for man of the match honours, were allowed to rest their legs.
A seventh was the result as Edin Dzeko clinically rolled in the record breaker.
From the OS..............
