Just as the Premier League title race looked like it may be fizzling out, up stepped one of its best players to blow it wide open again.
It should be no surprise that last season's PFA Young Player of the Year came to the fore in the Ethiad pressure-cooker on Thursday night to narrow Liverpool's lead over Manchester City to four points.
But it hasn't been an ordinary year for Leroy Sane, who has married the dizzying highs of 100-point season with being dumped from Germany's World Cup squad.
He had his attitude publicly questioned by international team-mates, and his manager, Pep Guardiola, during pre-season.