They continue to tick over do Manchester City, still some way off their scintillating best but a winning machine well versed in navigating tricky assignments that might have flummoxed lesser teams all the same.
Young Boys made City work extremely hard for a win that puts the reigning European champions in command of Group G and firmly on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages for an eleventh consecutive campaign.
Goals from Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland, from the penalty spot, were enough to make it three wins from three after a fine lobbed finish from Meschack Elia soon after City took the lead kept it interesting.
Indeed, City could only breathe a little easier once Haaland plundered his second with four minutes of normal time remaining.
There was probably enough here to offer Erik ten Hag some grounds for encouragement ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. City, for one, keep conceding. This was their 15th game of the season but they only have two clean sheets to their name.
Equally, Manchester United’s manager will know that City, but for some errant finishing and the heroics of Anthony Racioppi in the Young Boys goal, could have scored twice their total on the night and still have numerous gears to go through. Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Rodri were all denied by Racioppi and substitute Julian Alvarez had a goal disallowed.
Haaland? Well, he scored twice but should have had four, the Norwegian caught in two minds when twice through on goal with just Racioppi to beat. He has 11 goals for the campaign now and, perhaps worryingly for the rest of the Premier League and Europe, has not even remotely got going yet.
Watching City at the moment recalls to mind something Gary Neville once said about United when they were dominant under Sir Alex Ferguson. The autumn and winter, he said, were actually rather boring and a case of needs must and it feels that way about City – so good they can navigate these months almost as though they are paint by numbers. Then, when the business end of the season arrives, they hammer down the accelerator.
With the derby partly in mind, Guardiola made seven changes to the team that beat Brighton but Jeremy Doku kept his place and, with Jack Grealish on the opposite flank, it felt like the pair were being auditioned for one spot at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Both were lively, both good value and they combined for what would have been a lovely winger to winger goal midway through an engaging, competitive first period but for one of numerous excellent saves from the Young Boys goalkeeper, Anthony Racioppi.
After Erling Haaland was pushed away from goal, the ball fell to Grealish who drilled it low, hard and with pinpoint precision across the penalty area to Doku on the far side, a beautiful first time pass.
Cutting nimbly inside his marker, a goal beckoned but Doku appeared to lose his footing just as shot with his left and the ball was high and straight enough to give Racioppi the chance to save.
It is no stranger to see Grealish booed by opposition fans these days and, after catching the Young Boys right back Lewin Blum in the head with an arm early on, that was all the invitation the home fans needed to jeer the England forward every time he touched the ball.
Let’s be honest, Grealish is happy to play the role of the pantomime villain but this was also the most freely the £100 million man has been moving all season after a debilitating dead leg and he was more productive for it. He had one shot spilled by Racioppi and Manuel Nunes almost succeeded in poking the rebound over the line. When Grealish and Doku then switched flanks, the Belgian cut inside from the left and fired in a shot that was beaten away by Racioppi. Well before then, Haaland had found himself bearing down on the Young Boys goalkeeper but his finish was disappointing.
The goal City had worked so hard for in the opening 45 minutes and did not look like coming when Racioppi shut out Rodri’s half volley from Matheus Nunes’ corner finally arrived soon after the restart. Rodri clipped cross was met with a thundering header by Ruben Dias. Racioppi could only tip the ball on to the underside of the ball, allowed Akanji – who will miss the derby through suspension – to tap home the rebound.
Young Boys’s response was immediate. After Haaland had a shot saved, the Swiss champions raced down the other end with a ball over the top undoing City. Elia raced towards goal and showed the coolest of heads to nonchalantly lob the ball high over Ederson and in.
Dogged, aggressive, organised and compact, Young Boys were a tough nut to crack and it took a foul by Mohamed Ali Camara on Rodri for City to regain the lead from the penalty spot, with Haaland making no mistake. His second came late on when he fired right footed into the top corner.
