It was as if Erling Haaland had heard the story of how Denis Law scored seven for Manchester City the last time they visited Luton Town in the FA Cup in 1961 and accepted the challenge.
What followed was an absurd display of Haaland’s dominance – an ‘I was there’ game in which he scored a quintuple of strikes that can only leave Manchester United quaking ahead of this Sunday’s showdown in the Premier League.
Haaland got five of City’s six goals with Kevin De Bruyne assisting four of those.
This was as cold, calculated and robotic-like as a striker could be, dismantling Luton in such a routine way at Kenilworth Road that one of his celebrations involving him shrugging sheepishly.
There were even some Luton supporters who afforded him a standing ovation upon his substitution in the 77th minute.
Partly because they knew the torture was finally over, but mainly because of his brilliance. Sometimes, you simply have to applaud the artistry.
Back in 1961, Law scored all six goals when City led 6-2 here, only for the game to be abandoned after 69 minutes because of a biblical downpour.
It was replayed four days later with Law scoring his seventh of the tie, though it was Luton who won 3-1 to progress.
Luton received no help from the heavens this time. Not when the ‘Norse God’ – as he was described in a recent interview with British GQ Magazine – is showing his omnipotent side as ruthlessly as this.
Haaland’s five-goal haul was supplemented by a Mateo Kovacic strike to send City into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, yet such is the perfectionist in Pep Guardiola, he was not completely satisfied.
‘No, it is not perfect,’ he said. ‘It never is.’
Guardiola may have been thinking of the injury to Jack Grealish, who was substituted midway through this match.