When all is said and done, they may look back and identify this as the week Manchester City handed the title to Chelsea.

It sounds premature, of course. Yet no one who witnessed this unimaginative display can feel very confident that Manuel Pellegrini’s men have what it takes to keep up with a Chelsea team that played them off the park on Monday.

As for Norwich, they celebrated at the end as though they had won the match — which they very nearly did after Nathan Redmond, Martin Olsson and Anthony Pilkington carved Pellegrini’s defence wide open with moments to go.

The visitors must have known about Arsenal’s annihilation at Anfield; they must have realised top spot was there for the taking. Yet still there was no hunger.

And what is wrong with Yaya Toure? Sure, he took a first-half knock, but even before that he lacked influence. There was no attacking drive from Africa’s Player of the Year, who remained hopelessly deep for most of the match.

Then, astonishingly, we heard Pellegrini’s confession that he had ordered Toure into what amounted to a tactical retreat even before the game had begun.

‘With Fernandinho and Javi Garcia not fit, Yaya had to play back, we didn’t have a midfielder who could do that position,’ the South American said.

Quite what Jack Rodwell, on the bench all match, made of that remark is anyone’s guess.

James Milner was also part of a defensive midfield pairing that should still have allowed Toure to do what he does best. The caution exercised by an uncertain Pellegrini against a struggling Norwich side missing their best offensive players, Robert Snodgrass and Wes Hoolahan, seemed little short of absurd.

As for Toure, his most memorable moment was what appeared to be a kick into the back of Norwich substitute Ricky van Wolswinkel after the ball had gone.

Referee John Moss failed to spot the late controversy, though in this retrospective age, that may not be the end of the matter.

Ahead of Toure, Alvaro Negredo was disappointingly casual, Edin Dzeko surprisingly impotent, and busy David Silva woefully short of help. Even the dynamic Jesus Navas was predictable in his delivery.

And so was their manager Pellegrini, who never looks very inspiring when the chips are down. His decision to replace Negredo with Aleksandar Kolarov was tantamount to raising the white flag. And Kolarov was reduced to attempting the odd hopeful shot at goal from distance.

To say that Sergio Aguero is a miss is a severe understatement. Indeed, it already seems his team’s title hopes might well hinge on his return.

‘The most difficult thing is to score goals,’ said Pellegrini, which sounded odd coming from the leader of a team that had done practically nothing but score goals until this week.

For all that, both sides had their chances. Redmond blasted over in the 16th minute, after careless Navas had gifted a creative platform to Gary Hooper. Two minutes later, the former Celtic star thought he had the opener until rightly ruled offside.

City’s best spell came before half-time. The hard-working Pablo Zabaleta shot narrowly wide, then Negredo headed a flick-on by Martin Demichelis against the bar. A Negredo thunderbolt grazed the side-netting, then Silva’s wonderful run allowed Stevan Jovetic to half-volley goalward. John Ruddy saved well and gathered at the second attempt.

Just after the hour Norwich full-back Russell Martin, comically nicknamed ‘The Norfolk Cafu’, nearly lived up to that lofty soubriquet. He stormed down the right before taking a return pass to volley just wide.

At the other end Demichelis missed a great chance to head home a Navas corner. Milner and Toure had shots blocked, while Pellegrini scratched his head, doubled up in an awkward, Wengeresque body shape, and tried weakly to encourage his men.

Substitute Dzeko fired wide at the end of a move started by a Zabaleta back-heel, Navas followed suit and the visitors ran out of steam.

Only the lack of a sharp Norwich strikeforce allowed Pellegrini’s men off the hook at the end. No one bothered to attack Redmond’s cross and a stretching Joe Hart arm was just enough to deflect Olsson’s centre.

How the home fans cheered, despite Pilkington’s late miss. ‘They know their football here,’ said boss Chris Hughton.

‘For Manchester City to go through the game without scoring was a big ask. And they saw us trying to win it in the last 10 minutes.

‘Our squad is smaller squad than theirs but it’s a tighter squad.’

And there’s the rub. City did not show the right spirit and determination. And for the second time in a week, Pellegrini got his team selection and tactics wrong.

‘A lot of my players are not 100 per cent,’ complained Pellegrini. Clubs with City’s financial power are supposed to have these inevitable injury problems covered.

—Daily Mail