Manchester City were playing the football of dreams at times against Manchester United.In an extraordinary 6-3 triumph for the champions on Sunday, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that Erik ten Hag's men were lucky not to have picked the ball out of their net seven, eight or even nine times.Love them or loath them, the simple fact of the matter is that Pep Guardiola's side play some of the best football that the Premier League has ever seen.

The Haaland and De Bruyne connection

And while Erling Haaland and Phil Foden will understandably hog the majority of the headlines for helping themselves to hat-tricks, we must be wary not to forget the contributions of all the wonderful footballers around them.

In fact, with Haaland having now extended his goalscoring record to a frankly alien 17 strikes in 11 games, many of City's creative forces have unfairly missed out on the praise they also deserve.

And throughout all the stunning displays of finishing produced by Haaland so far, an almost omnipresent form of footballing magic behind him has come in the shape of Kevin De Bruyne.

Arguably the greatest midfielder in Premier League history - yes, we said it - the Belgian maestro was always going to strike up a lethal partnership with Haaland.

The marriage of his second-to-none passing range with Haaland's ruthless strikes was destined to align perfectly, elevating City to even dizzier goalscoring heights than they've seen before.

Erling Haaland GMS shop

De Bruyne pulling the strings vs Man Utd

And the synergy between the Citizens' goalscorer and playmaker in chief was on full display as they tore United to shreds in a staggering first-half that saw them enter the break with a 4-0 lead.

Naturally, De Bruyne found himself pulling the strings on many an occasion, turning provider for Haaland's first two goals as he romped his way to a third consecutive league hat-trick at home.

However, saying that alone would be underselling things grossly because although De Bruyne's first assist was 'only' a corner delivery, the second goal-creating pass was exactly the sort of footballing artistry that we all love him for.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

De Bruyne's assist for Haaland's second goal

That's because the 31-year-old took Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane out of the game in an instant with a gorgeously floated cross that Haaland smashed past David de Gea at the back post.

And although it might have looked fairly run of the mill from the original wide angle, the true majesty of De Bruyne's delivery was quickly highlighted with a stunning slow-motion replay.

It's no wonder, then, that footage of that very angle has hoovered up big numbers on Twitter for showing the brilliance of De Bruyne's assist in all its glory, so be sure to check it out for yourself down below because you don't want to miss out.

Video: Gorgeous replay of De Bruyne's assist for Haaland

Hang that up in the Louvre.

Appreciating De Bruyne's pass in all its glory

Sometimes when you see a pass like that at full speed from a distant view, you don't get to appreciate just how much it's been sculpted within an inch of its life to achieve its exact purpose.

Just because De Bruyne isn't playing it from 40 yards out with the outside of his boot, it doesn't mean the poise and skill to weight and time the pass to perfection isn't anything less than near-impossible.

But when you see a replay like that which shows the ball spinning gracefully towards its intended target, slicing past bewildered defenders, you really do get to admire what it is that makes players like De Bruyne truly great.

And when the deliveries are that level of magnificent, then don't be surprised if Haaland plunders his way to 40, 50 or 60 goals by the time that the season is out. Madness.