His character and confidence

Guardiola’s City another trophy, trophy one that will be savoured in a different way as they got over the line without being at their most beautiful.

In fact, they found a way to win when they were nowhere near their most beautiful.

Which you have to do because unless you are Lionel Messi, no team or individual can provide unremitting excellence.

Kevin De Bruyne is allowed days like these when both the strength and direction of his passing were a touch awry.

Fernandinho, whose injury could be a significant blow, can be excused some intercepting misjudgements, David Silva let off for a relative lack of influence. Brilliance is not automatic. And Chelsea ( David Luiz after missing in the shootout, right) performed with great discipline and, as they became a touch more expansive expansive, paraded the game’s most dangerous player in Eden Hazard.

So this was a triumph City eventually had to grind out, although no one could have envisaged the unedifying drama that erupted minutes ahead of the end of extra-time.

Kepa somehow gets cramp, Sarri understandably does not want a cramped keeper out there for the potential shootout, but the young Spaniard will not budge. Cue a Sarri meltdown. Short of marching on and dragging him off by the collar, , there was nothing the Chelsea helsea boss could do.

The ramifications, ions, more likely for manager ager than spectacularly disobedient isobedient player, will be significant. ificant.

And it will go down as a landmark moment ent of this season.

But, for now, do not let it completely overshadow shadow the Sterling strike that sealed a win that City probably y just about deserved, if only for or their more attacking approach. h.

A few days ago, Sterling, after the acclaim for scoring the winner in that comeback against Schalke, hinted nted he was, effectively, going to o cut out and keep the positive headlines.

At this rate, he is going to have to find a lot more room in his scrapbook.