THE VERDICT: HUDDERSFIELD 1 CITY 2

THE quick, slick football came skidding to halt in the damp, chill of a Pennine valley, but City found a way.

And that is the key to the Blues’ success this season, for all of the wonderful stuff they have played at times.

This is not just a pretty outfit, the Beauty opposed to the Beast of Old Trafford.

When the chips are down – frozen chips in this case – and they are malfunctioning, with key men not quite firing on all cylinders, they have players capable of digging something out.

And, while he is not everyone’s cup of tea, it was again Raheem Sterling who was the key man in a hard-won victory. The much-maligned England man forced a penalty out of Scott Malone by tormenting him with his pace, and then he was in the right place as the goalkeeper’s save bounced off his shins and into the empty net for the winner.

Huddersfield thought, at half-time, they had devised a template of how to beat City. Keep it tight, scrap for every ball – and then hope for a huge slice of luck. And when Nicolas Otamendi unluckily deflected a corner into his own net, they were on course to pull off a double against the two title-chasing Manchester clubs. That moment, on the stroke of half-time, looked like a classic end-ofwinning-run moment, with the Blues having 78 per cent possession, but wasting the rare chances that their dominance provided. Sergio Aguero and Sterling were the main culprits, the first firing a shot too close to keeper Jonas Lossl from David Silva’s lovely flick, and then Sterling following up the keeper’s parry by miscuing with a clear sight of open goal. But that pair combined to get the Blues back into it shortly into the second half. Sterling was manhandled by left-back Scott Malone several times in the game, and when his grapple happened in the box, the England man took the invitation and went down. Aguero’s penalty, under pressure, did not speak of a man whose role as spotkick taker has come under scrutiny. The Huddersfield fans were Stuart Brennan 14 7 Otamendi (45 og)

Aguero (47 pen), Sterling (84) 20% 80% 4 3 Malone, Hogg Sent off: van La Parra Fernandinho, Silva, Sane Craig Pawson 24,169 furious at the decision, but it was a penalty, and City were back to parity.

That meant we were back to more defence versus attack, like a training ground exercise – it’s football, but not as we know it, and love it.

But Gabriel Jesus made an impact as sub, finding a rare foot of space in the box to force a save from the keeper – and Sterling deserved the luck that came his way for his persistence and positioning.

It was not beautiful. It was not Guardiola-like. It was a case of hammering away and hoping for a break, and for their doggedness alone they deserved it.