Manchester City have started their celebrations to mark a decade since their first Premier League title by trying to prevent the sixth success being as tense or dramatic - thanks to a rout started and ended by Raheem Sterling.
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What had been a tight title race is now more firmly in City's control after a 5-0 victory over Newcastle sent the champions three points clear of Liverpool on Sunday.
How costly Liverpool only drawing with Tottenham on Saturday could prove to be, with City now also holding a superior goal difference of plus-4 over their rivals with three games to go.
Between a pair of goals from Sterling, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Phil Foden also found the net.
The stylish win ensured City could even have the luxury of dropping points in a remaining game and still win a sixth English title in 10 years.
Surely, City won't take clinching the trophy down to injury time of the final game like they did in 2012 -- a moment immortalised in T-shirts worn by the 2022 squad before kick-off on Sunday featuring "Agueroooo 93:20" to mark the exact time Sergio Aguero scored the title-winning goal.
What hasn't changed in the 10 years - for all the Premier League titles won - is the search for Champions League glory.
But after a collapse at Real Madrid on Wednesday denied City a spot in a second successive European final, Pep Guardiola's side made an effortless return to domestic duties.
The only downside to their win - and a potentially significant one - was that City will have to cope without injured defenders Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker and John Stones for the final three matches of the run-in because of injuries.
Elsewhere in Sunday's action, the Champions League looks ready to welcome back Arsenal after a five-season absence.
The Gunners are close to sealing fourth place and a return to Europe's top table after a 2-1 victory over Leeds pulled the team four points clear of Tottenham with three games to go.
The first of those is at Tottenham on Thursday - and a victory in the north London derby would secure fourth place.
It was Eddie Nketiah's double in the opening 10 minutes that ultimately secured the win over Leeds, who had captain Luke Ayling sent off in the 27th minute for a two-footed challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
Diego Llorente's second-half goal for Leeds couldn't spark a comeback.
Leeds are now in the drop zone alongside already-relegated Watford and Norwich, while Everton jumped out of the bottom three with a 2-1 win at Leicester.
Mason Holgate's header clinched the win for Everton on the half-hour after Vitalii Mykolenko's volley had been cancelled out by Leicester forward Patson Daka.
Frank Lampard's Everton have the advantage of three games remaining while Burnley and Leeds, a point below Everton, have one match fewer.
Manchester United's worst-ever Premier League season, which hit a new low with the 4-0 collapse at Brighton on Saturday, has given West Ham hope of dislodging the fallen giants from sixth.
A 4-0 victory over relegated Norwich kept West Ham in seventh place -enough for Europa Conference League qualification - but David Moyes' side are only three points from sixth with two games remaining and one in hand on United in the final Europa League spot.
Said Benrahma's double, a Michail Antonio strike and Manuel Lanzini's second-half penalty secured the emphatic win for West Ham.
Australian Associated Press
