After the final whistle, Ange Postecoglou walked over to the jubilant travelling Tottenham fans who had all remained within an otherwise near-empty Etihad Stadium.
He raised a fist towards them as they sang his name and then applauded them all for making the long, rain-swept and windy trip up to Manchester to sing their hearts out. He knew they had been rewarded for their efforts.
This was meant to be City's big day but Spurs were the party poopers. There was a lavish ceremony on the pitch before the match for Rodri's Ballon D'Or win and the excitement inside the stadium caused by Pep Guardiola's contract extension was palpable.
Yet City and Guardiola have their Kryptonite and it is named Tottenham Hotspur. This was the most brutal takedown of the Manchester side by their north London tormentors yet.
To win 4-0 against the champions is something special. To do it in their own backyard where City have not lost once in all competitions across 52 matches and two years is even more remarkable. It was City's worst home defeat in more than two decades and the first time Guardiola had lost a Premier League home game at all by a margin of four goals.
"When you lose 0-4 there’s nothing to say except to congratulate Tottenham," admitted the Spaniard afterwards.
Spurs were without their first choice centre-backs, were missing six first team players in all and had a bench that featured five teenagers, one of them just 16 in Malachi Hardy and a 17-year-old in Callum Olusesi.
Yet it ended up being a day that was huge for Postecoglou and his side, although it must be built upon if it is to become the night we all look back to as the one when the Australian's era truly kicked into gear.
It was the perfect night to demonstrate that his Spurs and his tactics can compete with the best and that it was away from home showed the players that their record on the road will improve because they will face few sterner tests of their credentials than the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
City could have scored goals - they had 23 shots - but they never felt as dangerous as Tottenham did, despite Guglielmo Vicario pulling off a handful of saves from their five efforts on target.
In contrast, Spurs sent seven of their nine shots on target and could have scored more than the four they did, with Ederson having to make top drawer saves to deny Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski as well as pushing over a Dominic Solanke effort.
Tottenham's goals were all right out of the Postecoglou playbook. The first featured a defender looking for a quick ball out from the back with Radu Dragusin finding the battling Kulusevski with a lofted pass down the right.
The Swede cut inside and curled a pinpoint ball on to the instep of the running birthday boy James Maddison to volley into the net just 13 minutes in to shock City after their bright and boisterous start to the game.
Seven minutes later and Maddison celebrated becoming 28 with a second goal. Spurs won the ball high up the pitch from a loose Josko Gvardiol pass and Maddison and Son played a great one-two, with the latter knocking a clever reverse ball which the midfielder ran on to and chipped over the onrushing Ederson.
Spurs had been in this position before at the Etihad, 2-0 up at the break, before Postecoglou's time but with him at the helm they heeded his mantra and kept on pushing relentlessly rather than sitting back and hoping.
Just seven minutes into the second half, Kulusevski was involved again, dribbling away from his own area, nutmegging Ilkay Gundogan before playing a one-two with Son, and then curling a ball across to Solanke. The ever-running striker pulled the ball back to Pedro Porro, once on City's books, who smashed it into the far corner.
That prompted a Mario Kart-inspired celebration in front of the delirious fans by the players, with a group of them constantly battling against each other on the Nintendo game on the way to matches.
Vicario was called into action a few times after that as Guardiola threw on the returning Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish but it was the visitors who wrapped up a complete performance in added time with a fourth goal as three of Postecoglou's substitutes combined.
Lucas Bergvall got a foot to a Grealish pass which directed it to Timo Werner and the German raced down the left flank past the tired Kyle Walker and pulled the ball expertly across the six-yard box for Brennan Johnson to slide home.
Winger to winger it was another Postecoglou goal to seal a thrashing that left the City players and their fans shocked.
Plenty of praise must go in the direction of Postecoglou. His team played his way and they humbled the champions.
They did so with his tactical tweaks, with Maddison restored to the line-up to cause chaos with his twists, turns and movement and Kulusevski put back on the wing to cause havoc for City's man-to-man marking.
Both full-backs spent less time in the inverted positions, leaving those areas for Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr to profit from and it all worked a treat. That three of his substitutes combined for the final goal was the cherry on the cake.
"I thought it was going to be important for us [getting the wingers heavily involved]. We knew we were going to have to defend at different times and with Deki and Sonny out there, I thought if we could get the ball to them really early, City are pretty aggressive with their approach," explained Postecoglou.
"They like to defend almost man on man because they've got outstanding defenders who like to defend man on man, but I think with Dom there as well, we like that sort of set-up where we can the ball to them earlier.
"That's the theory. The practice isn't always that easy because they put pressure on you and I thought our build-up play today, at times we got a little bit stuck, especially in the second half, but we just persisted and persisted in trying to hit those areas that we needed to.
"Every time we did it in the second half, we looked really threatening and we obviously scored some good goals from it. For us again, it's development as a team, which is about trying to within the context of our football find solutions that exist, depending on the opponent."
Maddison played like a man with a point to prove and he did it perfectly with not only the two superb goals but a performance that contained two dribbles, two tackles, one interception, two clearances and one City shot blocked. He also had an 88.9% pass success rate in the middle of the park.
His confidence visibly grew after this first goal and after the final whistle, the birthday boy and his head coach shared a hug on the pitch with Maddison grinning from ear to ear at whatever the Australian said to him.
"I thought he was really good for us earlier in the season and then he had a couple of flat games but I think the whole team has. I also believe there's more in Madders and I think that's on me. I always say, that's my role as a manager," Postecoglou told the media after the game.
"If I'm not getting a maximum amount out of the players, the team against Ipswich, or individuals, then it's about sort of some self reflection of 'well, ok, can I do something different with them?'.
"But the thing about Madders was he obviously didn't go away on international duty. He had two weeks with us and the coaches worked really hard with him and he was working really hard at training and I could just see and said he was ready for a big game. He hasn't lowered his ambitions or his kind of levels of the kind of player he wants to be and it's about us giving him that platform and it wasn't just his goals today.
"I thought he was really important for us in the build-up because he was always looking for it in tight areas and, and defensively, he worked really hard. So, yeah, credit to him. Like I said, I still think he's had a decent season, but it's like us as a team, we want to be more than that, we want to be more than just a decent team."
Maddison now has eight goal involvements in 12 Premier League games. He made it clear what he thought of his benching in recent games in the competition and he knows he has set the standard for himself with this performance.
"I've been alright. I'm never happy with not playing," the 28-year-old admitted to Sky Sports. "The gaffer took me out for a tactical reason because he wanted Sarr and Kulusevski - two really fit lads who can really go and press for 90 minutes - for a couple of games.
"I've got a lot of self belief and if I go through tough spells of having two games out I’m at the age now where I’m able to go and show you that this team is much better with me in it.
"That is the mindset - not in an arrogant, big-headed way - just the mindset of myself and that self belief. That’s the only way you get out of those little ruts.
"I've actually been really happy with my form this season, been a couple games when I haven’t maybe been at the level, but I watch all the games back and I know when I’m not playing at the level.
"There’s been a couple which in football, it happens, but I’m really happy and proud I bounced back, back in today for a big game, really showed my leadership and the manager will be happy with that so I am."
Tottenham's leaders were there when called upon at the Etihad Stadium. The vice-captain Maddison contributed his goals and play, the busy captain Son an assist and a part in the third goal plus going close himself and setting up Solanke.
Vicario, part of the leadership group, produced one of his best games for Tottenham. Other than an early dropped catch, he dealt with almost everything from set pieces and set his stall out 11 minutes in when saving Erling Haaland's shot with his foot, making further saves from the Norwegian and Ilkay Gundogan.
His best save of the night came from Savinho's point blank header, only for the City man to be flagged offside.
Then there was the growing leader - Dejan Kulusevski. Currently the Sweden captain, the 24-year-old showed once again why Spurs mockingly call it the Dekihad Stadium and he labels it his favourite game of the year.
He was everywhere, curling that sublime pass to Maddison's foot, helping set up Spurs third with his ball for Solanke and then could have scored himself after a jinking run but for the palm of Emerson. The Swede made three key passes on the night.
Kulusevski now has six goal involvements in his four visits to the Etihad and Son has three goals and four assists in his past seven appearances at the stadium. They love it there.
Kulusevski is revelling his time with Postecoglou, saying ahead of the match: "It's been very nice to get to know him. I think he's a very good man and a very good coach. I have learned a lot from him and I agree with his playing style. That's the way I want to play, very aggressive and always the same."
"But of course, we have to improve. What we are doing is not enough. We can see progress in our football but we want to win something this year and we have to see results too.
"It's a challenge for us together - the manager, the players, everyone at the club - to find a way that works. A lot of things we do are perfect. Offensively, we are very good. But we have to defend a little bit better, especially conceding some easy goals from crosses.
"We have to improve a lot on that, but I think we can fix that side of our game and I am enjoying working with the manager. It's an honour for me to work with him."
Another leader in the team was the experienced and usually unsung Ben Davies, whose interception sent Spurs away for their third goal. The 31-year-old brought calm amid the storm in the Tottenham backline, helping Radu Dragusin to his best performance of the season so far. The young Romanian was a rock alongside the unflappable Wales captain.
Davies made six clearances and blocked one shot on the night, while Dragusin made one tackle, one interception, two clearances and blocked three shots. Both won two aerial duels and used the ball well on the whole as City pressed them.
Postecoglou was delighted with the two centre-backs and how the held the line against Haaland & Co.
"I thought they were all great. You have to be against City because obviously they've got big Erling up there, but the way they deliver the ball, the areas they consistently probe, you've got to be focused the whole time and I thought Ben and Radu were really focused, I thought Vic behind them was really positive as well with his positioning and the way they communicated. I thought Biss was important to that," he said.
"I think the key for us was we had to do it as a collective today. I think when you play City, you can't rely on individuals to find solutions out there and collectively, I thought we defended really well, but credit to those two guys and not just defensively, but we had to play out from the back.
"It was the only way we were going to deliver balls to the areas we wanted to and both Ben and Radu didn't shy away from that. It wasn't always easy, but they consistently were looking for the ball and looking for us to play out from the back. So credit to those guys."
Both full-backs contributed with hard-working displays, Porro scoring and Udogie going off late on with a knock bothering him.
Bissouma was excellent in front of them, taking on the pressure of replacing the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur. Just 17 seconds in, it looked like he'd forgotten to turn his brain on for the match with a lunging tackle on Phil Foden which brought an instant yellow card.
However, the Mali international's discipline from that point on was perfect and many City attacks ended at his door. He used the ball well under pressure, regularly taking it in tight areas and switching it out wide as an outlet for the defence. His 93.2% pass success rate was the highest of the starting Spurs players.
Sarr showed his comfort once again in the biggest of games. He was a machine in the middle, covering ground, getting his foot in and gliding away from City tackles at will. Still just 22-years-old, it's clear that he's going to become a Premier League star if he continues on this trajectory
Then there was another rising leader in the group - the leader of the line in fact - in Solanke. The striker gave the City defence a torrid time throughout, battling and pressing and setting up Porro for his goal.
There was not a single weak link in the Tottenham team on the night and that is what you need against a side with City's might.
"That’s the real Spurs today. That’s the one that we train towards, that’s the one we worked towards," said Maddison. "That 90 minutes there is what we want Spurs to be and what we have got to strive to be there more consistently."
Postecoglou told football.london that he's never felt his Tottenham players have doubted his way despite the noise from the outside and this performance showcased that.
"I really think we've progressed as a team. I think we're a better team this year than we were last year, but we've had some real flat spots to say the least that have not allowed us to progress in terms of where we are, in terms of our standing," he said.
"But I've never sensed from the players that they have lost belief in what we're doing. It's very easy to because obviously there's a lot of noise when things don't go well. But today was about doubling down on our football principles and we did that. It is significant because obviously they've got an unbelievable record here at home.
"So I don't think it's something that you can be just sort of blasé about. It is significant, but I think it's significant for the whole group that we've reached these standards before. It's about now not dropping as we have in certain games."
That's the key now for his side because it was classic Spurs that they can pull out a top drawer performance against the champions after having handed Ipswich their first win of the season with a dismal display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There's something growing in this group, the players regularly refer to themselves as "family". They enjoy Postecoglou football and are giving themselves over to it more and more with every passing month.
Yet games like this need to impress upon them just how hard they must work, for they need to produce the same output in a match against Ipswich or Crystal Palace as they do against Guardiola's men. Everybody works hard in the Premier League, so that must be a given rather than a choice.
Postecoglou is adapting as well, making tactical tweaks in games now that the players have the philosophy drilled into them. He admitted the day before the match that he's working on his own communication to ensure the players find the solutions against any team they face.
"I’m always reflecting. I don't think I would have lasted this long if I was just… and I know people try to paint me as one-dimensional, there are certain beliefs that I have that I won’t waver on, but within that process, there’s always things [I adapt], because there’s different challenges wherever you go," he said.
"I just think the games we’ve really got stuck in this year, where we’ve really struggled to find solutions in games, I’m thinking about Brighton second half, Palace and Ipswich, where we didn’t really have solutions out there. The solutions do exist, they exist within our football but maybe the way I’m messaging that - that’s the reflective bit for me.
"To say 'How can I become even clearer' or find a different way of showing the players that when we do get stuck in these moments, because obviously currently how I am doing it hasn’t had the impact I’d hope it would have.
"So there’s always self reflection. I am steadfast and I am clear that I have some really strong principles that I just won’t budge on, but that doesn’t mean I don't feel at times I need to adapt in the way I deliver things or the way I work."
Nights like this show what Postecoglou is trying to build at Tottenham. His press conference after the game was calm and collected, even slightly subdued, eager not to make too much of it.
He is well aware of the inconsistency of this young Spurs team, who can easily get carried away with themselves rather than realising that what brought the win needs to be replicated each week. Tottenham are up into sixth place now, three points off third and four off second, and are by far the Premier League's top scorers.
Yet this was a huge result for Postecoglou and he will know it. It struck a hammer blow to many of his critics and can be used as the shining example of "Angeball" whenever anyone inside the club objects to or doubts what he's asking of them.
It was Postecoglou's 50th Premier League game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, but it felt like it should be the first of the next level for him and his team. It needs to be the gateway to his new era as a performance that will live long in the memory but as the beginning of something bigger rather than a standalone event.
