PRINCE WILLIAM was up in the posh seats and there was English footballing royalty in the Aston Villa dugout.
And yet the true majesty was Manchester City’s.
Pep Guardiola’s champions, even with several first-teamers out and with £100million Jack Grealish on the bench, were at their eye-popping best for long spells here.
Steven Gerrard’s Villa reign, which had started with back-to-back wins, was stopped in its tracks – much to the amusement of the travelling fans, who serenaded the former Liverpool skipper with memories of his infamous slip which gifted City the title back in 2014.
City have scored plenty of masterpiece goals under Guardiola but their second at Villa Park might just have been his Sistine Chapel moment.
A Riyad Mahrez back-heel in his own penalty area, one pass, one cross, one thumping volley from Bernardo Silva.
It was beautiful and brutal, brilliantly simple yet impossible to have imagined.
Guardiola absolutely beamed. That was what the workaholic Catalan sweats buckets for.
Villa staged a feisty second-half fightback in a stirring encounter and former England captain Gerrard may well have learned more about his new troops here than in those victories over Brighton and Crystal Palace.
But City remain just a point behind leaders Chelsea and they showed the quality of champions in bossing the first half, then dogging out the second period.
There had been suggestions that Grealish might receive dog’s abuse on his return to his boyhood club.
But when the former Villa skipper walked out for the pre-match warm-up, he received only a gentle round of applause, as if he’d just played a decent safety shot at the Crucible.
When he walked to the bench before kick-off, there were isolated boos from home fans but positive reaction outweighed the negative.
And we can safely assume that the future King wasn’t one of those Villa supporters directing indecent hand gestures at the £100million man.
The champions were, though, missing several first-teamers – Kyle Walker, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte all missing in defence, with Kevin De Bruyne and Ferran Torres also out.
After such a promising start under Gerrard there was a proper buzz about the Villa Park before kick-off – and the old place was rattling when their side got at City after the break.
But City started in delicious form – suffocating when they were without the ball, bewitching when they had it.
Time after time, Guardiola’s men won possession in the final, then their pass-and-move game was smooth and sweet as nectar.
Inside a minute, Raheem Sterling located Mahrez with a crossfield pass Joao Cancelo’s shot was turned round the post by Emiliano Martinez.
Soon, Gabriel Jesus had a dribble and a wriggle, his shot blocked by Tryone Mings and then a Rodri effort was pushed over by Martinez.
Sterling, fully back from a lengthy form slump at club level, was in irresistible form – all sleight of foot and drops of shoulder.
And it was the England wideman who teed up the 27th-minute opener, as he teased John McGinn then cut back for Ruben Dias to lash a first-time left-footed shot into the corner of the net.
Leon Bailey was forced off through injury on the half-hour and Ashley Young replaced him.
Then came City’s second, on 43 minutes, and it was a classic from start to finish.
Mahrez, facing goal in his own box, got out of bother with a cute back-heel to Fernandinho, who swept a long pass to Jesus.
The Brazilian forward spotted Bernardo in space and he wrapped his foot around the ball for a cross which was met by a spanking left-footed volley which gave Martinez not the slightest chance.
But straight after the break, Villa were back in the game with a very decent goal of their own.
A Douglas Luiz corner was swept home first time by a swish of the boot from Ollie Watkins, in off the post – old Wills clutching his claret-and-blue scarf with delight.
Villa had their tails up, increased intensity on the pitch and from the stands – although a cushioned volley from Jesus was deflected just wide.
Gerrard’s men thought they should have had a penalty just before the hour when a McGinn cross was nodded down by Watkins and as Ezri Konsa shot, Nathan Ake arrived and made contact – yet neither Mike Dean nor his VAR Kevin Friend were in a giving mood.
Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka, on as a sub for the injured Matt Targett, almost equalised 15 minutes from time when he latched on to a McGinn pass only for an alert Ederson to block his shot with his body.
Suddenly, city were rocking and a sense of belief was coursing through Villa veins.
In the 87th minute Guardiola sent for Grealish and Villa Park still couldn’t make its mind up – a mixture of boos and applause.
Grealish’s first touch was a sumptuous take-down of a long ball and the jeers from his former disciples did nothing to stifle his swagger.
