Right, I’m off. It was, for 45 minutes, spellbindingly magnificent. As such, we’ll charitably forget the second half. Arsenal had the blue lines, Manchester City had the massive attack. Here’s a match report. Bye!

Pep Guardiola speaks. He is happy.

It’s so difficult to win two games in a row in four days, against a team like Arsenal. And we did it. The weather conditions were so tough, the pitch as well. The first 15, 20 minutes was not really good, but it was so important today, so, so important. We win, we have another step forward. We need five wins to be champions. The goals were so good, and also Ederson was outstanding, saving the penalty. Arsenal are able to create chances from nothing in 10, 15 minutes. The way we started the second half was poor, really poor, but sometimes it’s not easy to be focused. I can understand. In the end, when we were able to make 15 passes in a row, after that we were able to control the game.

Again, sometimes we create a lot of chances and don’t score a goal. Today, first one Bernardo scored an amazing goal. Three, four chances we scored three goals. We did our job, that is important. We have tough, tough fixtures.

Leroy Sane talks about Pep Guardiola:

He always tries with every player, also with me, to give all 100% what you have, that you don’t rest, and every training session, every game, that you give all the best. I improve so much with him. I think every player in our squad can tell you that. He’s a really good coach and tries always to see where you can improve. He sees mistakes and helps you straight away.

Manchester City last did the double over Arsenal in 1975-76. This year they’ve done the treble over them.

The history boys:

Manchester City go 16 points clear, and know that they can lose half of their 10 remaining games and still win the title.

The players go off, to further boos from the handful of disgruntled Arsenal fans that have hung around. “I can’t believe I’m more excited for Arsenal Fan TV then I am for the disaster that is Arsenal’s bounce back game,” writes Dave Gardner. “Sad times.”

90+3 mins: The second half was as forgettable as the first was memorable. It is now over, and we can go back to watching replays of those goals.

90+1 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time. Arsenal win a free kick on the right, which Mkhitaryan kicks straight into the nearest defender.

90 mins: “What do you think, should Arsene resign now in the hopes that the Gunners might get a Bould Bounce before the end of the season?” wonders Matthew Turner. I’m not sure that Wenger leaving at this stage would be any better than him staying.

89 mins: Gundogan goes on a random run forward, the ball eventually being stolen off his toes and deflected to Jesus, whose shots is blocked and bounces to De Bruyne, whose shot is also blocked.

87 mins: The official attendance is 58,420, which presumably includes stewards, absent season-ticket holders and visiting lapwings.

86 mins: City engage in an extended spell of keep-ball, which finally ends with a throw-in, and a final substitution – Gabriel Jesus replaces David Silva.

82 mins: Yaya Toure comes on for Sergio Aguero.

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81 mins: Bernardo Silva picks up a loose ball outside his own penalty area, and runs straight out of play. The visitors have taken their eye off the ball this half. It is freezing cold, windy and snowing, and they are already three up, so you can probably excuse it.

78 mins: A chance! The ball is played through to Aguero, who runs into the area, on the right-hand side, and hits a hard, low shot across goal, but Cech gets down well to shovel the ball away.

75 mins: There has been nothing to warm us since the penalty except our memories of the first half. David Silva runs with the ball towards the area, and then plays an absolutely hopeless pass straight to Koscielny.

71 mins: A substitution: Kyle Walker is walking uncomfortably to the sidelines, and Oleksandr Zinchenko is coming on.

71 mins: Remarkable. City can’t string two passes together. Rubbish. Boo! “Just a quick comment on Sachin Paul’s lazy analogy,” writes Antoni Gorny. “1. the 8-2 was away; 2. Arsenal played a severely weakened side (remember Traore and Jenkinson at full-back); 3. the penalty came at 1-0, the first half ended 3-1. Not only that, but back then, Arsenal were as woeful on the pitch as the scoreline suggested. Today, Arsenal are decent, but the score (philosophically speaking) remains the same.”

66 mins: City haven’t done very much this half. At times in the first half they approached perfection – players making the right runs, playing the right passes, at the right times – but this has been an error-strewn 20 minutes from them. This, though, is a remarkable record:

61 mins: The good news for Aubameyang: the last time he took a penalty against Ederson, it was even worse (thanks to Nelson Calvinho for the reminder). So, he’s improving …

58 mins: Arsenal continue to dominate. The ball is chipped up to Aubemayang, who volleys just wide from the edge of the area. That would have been another cracker. Sachin Paul emails: “Shades of the 8-2 game,” he notes. “Arsenal were 3-0 down, got a penalty, Van Persie’s effort was saved by De Gea. What happened next is history. Will City be as ruthless? Or will Guardiola be merciful on Wenger and ask his players to take it lightly?”

55 mins: The ball is played back to Cech, who is closed down by De Bruyne. The goalkeeper takes a touch, weighs up his options, and then hits it into De Bruyne! The bounce, though, is lucky, and it bobbles to safety.

53 mins: Aubameyang places the ball on the spot. He takes a few paces back. He strolls up to the ball, sidefoots it feebly to his right, and having gone the right way Ederson can hardly fail to save it!

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Bellerin passes to Mkhitaryan, inside the penalty area, and Otamendi sticks out a leg in an attempt to get to the ball first. But he’s beaten to it, makes contact with the player, and the referee points to the spot!

49 mins: Arsenal – whisper it – are bossing these early second-halfly exchanges. They haven’t looked likely to create anything, but they are prodding purposefully.

46 mins: Peeeep! They’re off! Again!

The players are back out. More liquid football, please, sirs.

Honestly, the three goals City have scored tonight, they are ridiculous. They are just delicious. I’m just trying to savour them, to drink them in, to commit them to memory so, in idle moments, I can replay them in my mind.

“I do think people are being harsh on Arsenal,” writes Robert Johnson. “City are playing astoundingly well: that’s the real story. Arsenal fans are too entitled and unrealistic to assume they have a right to beat City. It’s just one of those days – attacking-wise City can do no wrong. But the Arsenal players are trying, and, in chess terms, they do have counterplay: surely that’s as much as you can ask.”

David Silva’s first touch before he scored the second goal – I am drooling on my desk here.

“I think the only reason City won’t reach double figures will be some combination of just getting tired of scoring and mercy,” says JR.

A request expressed so eloquently I have little choice but to comply.

45+3 mins: More boos as the players head to the tunnel. The punishment, for now, is over.

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45+2 mins: Mustafi passes the ball right to Bellerin, who lets it run under his foot. City throw-in.

45+1 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time, or thereabouts. It starts with Xhaka pummelling another shot goalwards from distance, which Ederson catches.

42 mins: Arsenal nearly almost have a chance! Ramsey tricks his way between two defenders and passes to Aubameyang, who is facing the wrong way so plays back to Mkhitaryan, whose shot is blocked.

41 mins: I think Arsenal are playing better than they did on Sunday, at least in attack. In defence, Kolasinac is struggling pretty badly – but the goals have all been incredibly good.

39 mins: Save! City have failed to score with a shot on target! Arsenal are sliced and diced again, and De Bruyne’s low cross finds Aguero, who turns it goalwards – but hits Cech.

38 mins: Ramsey has a shot from the edge of the area, which Danilo charges down. The Arsenal man wants a penalty, claiming the ball hit Danilo’s hand, but the referee shakes his head, and replays suggest he was right to do so.

37 mins: The lad’s got a point.