Defences certainly were not on top as Chelsea and Manchester City played out an epic eight-goal 4-4 thriller where, finally, football was the main talking point.
Erling Haaland broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 25th minute before Thiago Silva equalised four minutes later when flicking home following a corner.
In recent weeks officials and video assistant referees have taken centre stage but, bar a disputed City penalty which Erling Haaland scored to make it 1-0, it was the players and coaches who made this one.
⚽️ Watch Highlights Chelsea vs Manchester City 4-4
After Haaland’s opener, 39-year-old Thiago Silva became Chelsea’s oldest goalscorer and Raheem Sterling netted against his old club.
He said on Sky Sports: “The game we all watched on Monday [Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Tottenham], it felt like everyone was talking about that game for days afterwards and I think this will be the same.
“It was fantastic and it just felt right that Chelsea got the equaliser. I know the Man City fans will be disappointed but it felt right that there shouldn’t be a winner in that game. It was that good.”
Ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, watching for BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “That was an amazing game. From the start, the intensity was so high. It was a fantastic performance against the best side in the world at the moment.”