Aguero proves Guardiola right to keep Man City fans living the dream

After what had been one of the most abject 45 minutes of the season by Manchester City's skyscraper standards, it was tempting to think about which players could grab this game by the scruff of the neck.

Pep Guardiola picks a team he thinks is capable of winning every match and so it ultimately proved, but on the back of a more turgid and nervier stalemate than many had expected (and with precious other ideas to write) it did feel like there was reason to think this could go the way of one of the rare shock defeats this team has suffered.

With a centre-back pairing that hadn't been trusted together since the Norwich calamity back in September, David Silva fading in his final season and Gabriel Jesus having one of those nights where nothing goes right, who could win this game for City.

The answer of course, because it nearly always is, is Sergio Aguero .

His predatory instinct and response to Benjamin Mendy's sharp ball into the box proved the difference maker, changing the score and the approach and confidence that both teams subsequently had.

The goalkeeper could have done better and VAR may have interfered had it been in use but they matter not to Aguero, the man for every occasion who gobbles up every kind of goal. Hammered volleys, scuffed toe-pokes, diving headers, deflections and anything else you can think of (although fewer penalties than he'd like) in just about every match situation and conditions going.

Guardiola has grown bored of questions about it, and has sounded almost dismissive at times. "It's not the first time he has scored goals, honestly" was his response after another matchwinning performance from the Argentine at Bournemouth this season.

He has a point - when something happens so often it can lose its news value - but a nicer way of putting it has been the manager's phrase that Aguero will die scoring goals.

After his goal at Hillsborough, there were more stats trundled out both about his career and his current level of performance; not only has he scored 12 more goals in English domestic cups than anyone else since 2011 but he also has more in all competitions than any Premier League player this season.

One day, he will leave the club and the goals will be no more in a City shirt. Until that point though, he will simply keep scoring goals - starting with United on Sunday in a season that still has plenty of glory up for grabs.

And while it will surely carry on long after he is gone, City fans will keep having reasons to sing deliriously about signing him when United signed Phil Jones