Manchester City equalled their club record of 28 games unbeaten on Tuesday, hammering Wolverhampton 4-1 to open up a 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola shuffled his pack at the Etihad against the team who did the league double against them last season.
City were made to sweat after Conor Coady headed in a second-half equaliser to cancel out an early own goal from Leander Dendoncker.
But two late goals from Gabriel Jesus and a Riyad Mahrez strike sealed the three points.
City’s 28-match unbeaten run in all competitions equals their run from April to December 2017 and they are red-hot favourites to win a third Premier League title in four years.
The victory was their 21st in a row as they go in search of an unprecedented quadruple.
The home side toyed with the visitors from the opening whistle, hogging possession as Wolves struggled to gain a foothold.
Raheem Sterling had an early chance smothered by Rui Patricio.
But City’s dominance was rewarded when Dendoncker could only steer the ball into his own net in the 15th minute.
Mahrez made an incisive run down the right, getting behind the City defence and was brilliantly picked out by Rodrigo from midfield.
The Algeria international whipped the ball across the face of goal and Dendoncker, with Sterling hovering menacingly behind him, inadvertently found the net.
Laporte had an effort ruled out for offside and Bernardo Silva blazed over after Patricio saved smartly from his header on the stroke of half-time.
City nearly doubled their lead early in the second half but Patricio was down smartly to his left to make a fingertip save from Kevin De Bruyne after a slick move.
Minutes later he pushed a Mahrez shot wide as City sought to give the scoreline a more realistic look.
But incredibly, Wolves were level just after the hour mark when Coady headed in Joao Moutinho’s free-kick.
City upped the pressure and reclaimed the lead with 10 minutes remaining. Wolves failed to cut out a Kyle Walker cross and Jesus turned to smash home from close range.
Guardiola’s men put the result beyond doubt when Mahrez tucked home their third in the 90th minute and Jesus claimed a fourth with the final kick of the game, awarded after a long VAR check.
City’s winning streak is the third-best streak among teams in Europe’s leading five leagues, behind only Bayern Munich’s 23 in a row in 2020 and Real Madrid’s 22 successive victories in 2014.
What is even more astonishing is that they started the season slowly, with many commentators forecasting the closest Premier League title race for years.
Instead, Guardiola’s men are turning the race into a procession.
