People saying yesterdays result means nothing unless we win tonight are wrong. It means that no matter what happens tonight we have one game less to play where we proceed with a minimum of a 4 point lead. No matter what happens.
Win, lose, or draw, that result last night was massive for us. Going into this game knowing it's a no lose situation should steady and nerves and allow us to play with a bit less pressure. Its a bit of a freebie for us considering we all thought we'd only have a point lead and pretty much having to win (although I did think Newcastle would get something)
That's how I see it, and I can't understand the mindset that dropping points tonight renders City's defeat meaningless. A rival dropping points always matters, regardless of results elsewhere. I'd always rather be 4 points ahead than 1 point ahead, and as you say - last nights result also alleviates a bit of pressure.
What's also interesting about this thread is not only the amount of caution (understandable given previous near misses), but also how many people keep pointing to City's capacity for long winning streaks, when the 4 games they've lost so far have come in only their last 9 matches, and they have massive fixture congestion coming up and key players coming back from injury or out of form.
The media narrative for City before last night was 8 straight wins in all competitions, 32 goals scored and only 2 conceded, but this overlooked the fact that 17 of those goals were against Burton Albion and Rotherham, and their only 'difficult' games were us and Wolves. For me, there's no doubt they're rattled and Guardiola looks pretty frazzled and defensive with the media compared to the calm and discipline of Klopp and our players. Competing in 4 competitions always takes its toll, and this is the part of the season when the pressure ramps up to a whole new level.
I agree we should take it one game at a time and there's a long way to go, but there's no doubt the momentum is with us - we've won 11 of our last 12 league games, with injuries and a makeshift back line and a changeable midfield that hasn't always hit top level. Of course its not over yet, but bloody hell - what a ride.