Sergio Aguero seals 4-2 victory against Napoli in six-goal thriller to make Manchester City history

So, the first time that it was really put to Manchester City this season they instead replied with a stunning spectacle. That was the true significance to this brilliant 4-2 victory in Napoli, even though it still extended their winning run to 14 games in all competitions and also saw them mathematically qualify for the Champions League last 16.

That was in truth always academic and the evidence of this game suggests they should have absolutely nothing to fear once they get there as the Stadio San Paolo saw another step in their impressive evolution under Pep Guardiola. They found another way to win, as Napoli went at them and gave them problems like no other side has done this season.

It also meant this wasn’t just any other game, but maybe among the best the Champions League will see this season. It was that good, that intense, that entertaining, and the sublime Sergio Aguero’s blistering strike that fitting a winner before Raheem Sterling really rounded it off.

If the consistent hope for so many rivals this season is that City will begin to buckle once they face a proper setback and their rhythm is disrupted, the response to that precise problem here should be ominous.

The fact Napoli had clearly so intensely dwelt on how to do exactly that should only deepen that feeling.

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Maurizio Sarri had said the only way his side could possibly get a result out of this game was to prevent City starting in the way they usually do and getting the early goal they usually do, and Napoli resoundingly succeeded in that by giving City the kind of problems early on they haven’t usually faced. The Serie A leaders just hounded and pressed Guardiola's team in the way we haven’t seen for some time. It also meant that City went behind for the first time in some time, as Lorenzo Insigne finished a sweeping one-two.

As brilliant as the Italian’s strike was, though, the real beauty of the move was in Dries Mertens’ divine first-time outside-of-the-foot return ball at the edge of the box. It took five City players out and, really, took the breath away.

This was the first time City had been a goal down in any game since 26 August away to Bournemouth, and thereby the first challenge they’ve faced in some time.

It didn’t help that they weren’t being able to pass the ball in the same way, as Napoli had a much greater share of possession at over 50 per cent.

That was something else City weren’t accustomed to, but they responded impressively.

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Even if they were helped by the fact the lively Faouzi Ghoulam had to come off injured, so many of their players began to properly switch on. Ilkay Gundogan began to run the midfield, and the attackers around him ran with more purpose. Warning was served for Napoli on 32 minutes when a surging break ended with Sergio Aguero having a shot deflected just wide, but the Italians couldn’t heed it.

That is perhaps the extra challenge of facing this City, and the difficulty of striking a balance against them. To start against them in the way that Sarri said he so needed, you need to put in the kind of running that is so unsustainable. Napoli were already drastically dropping back when, on 35 minutes, Nicolas Otamendi rose highest to head in Gundogan’s cross and make it 1-1.

It was all City now, as Otamendi missed another chance, John Stones hit the crossbar, and Raheem Sterling might have had a penalty after Elseid Hysaj had taken him down.

The young English winger’s running and weaving was giving Napoli all manner of problems, and almost saw him give City the lead after working his way into the box, only for Raul Albiol to excellently get across and block. That it required this showed how far City were pushing, how close a goal was. Within moments, they just got it over the line, literally. A Sane cross was headed off the bar by Stones, but crucially bounced just inside the goal.

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It was as if Sarri had prepared so much for all the sophistication of City’s attacking that he had forgotten to look at something much more basic: how to defend set-pieces.

Napoli had more to offer themselves, though, and a thunderous shot against the bar from Insigne from distance was to signal to push up much more. On the hour, they had the equaliser, as Sane fouled Albiol in the box and Jorginho stroked the penalty into the corner.

With the score at 2-2 and with half an hour, the game was itself at a gloriously open stage, both teams willing to throw everything at each other. The 70th minute displayed that perfectly. In one moment, Jose Callejon was missing a supreme chance after a better run and pass from Mertens. In the next, Aguero was put through on goal to fire the ball past Pepe Reina.

In an end-to-end game, that was the way to appropriately finish it, but they weren't done yet as Sterling finished another breakaway to get a deserved personal goal. City, meanwhile, may just be getting started.