I’d like to think that I’m not usually given to hyperbole, but last Saturday’s performance was up there with the victory at Elland Road in Daniel Farke’s first title winning season in terms of inspiring fans.

Given that it was just the sixth game of the season and the first home win under Johannes Hoff Thorup, the fact that almost half the crowd stayed to applaud long after the final whistle was an indication that something special had just happened.

Of course, it’s just one game, but it was undoubtedly the most complete display of Hoffball that we have seen so far and was particularly impressive against a team who have habitually bullied City’s midfield in recent seasons.

This time, City completely dominated that area of the pitch for much of the game, despite the efforts of the impressive Giorgi Chakvetadze, with Kenny McLean instrumental in three of the goals and Marcelino Nunez producing perhaps his best ever performance in a City shirt.

It was also good to see Oscar Schwartau bounce back after a disappointing performance at Swansea. It will inevitably take more time for some players to adapt than others, so it was encouraging to see Ante Crnac and Amankwah Forson showing signs of progress as well.

There is now genuine competition throughout the squad, as evidenced by a stellar performance by Kellen Fisher who provided living proof that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog that counts, while Jose Cordoba showed why he was top of City’s summer shopping list.

Cordoba may lack the sheer physical bulk of Shane Duffy and Callum Doyle, but he is immensely strong and supremely comfortable in possession, giving City another option to beat the opposition’s press.

While it is clear that the incoming players fit perfectly into Thorup’s template, it’s worth pointing out the improvement in Duffy’s game under the Dane’s coaching. Having started the season with an absolute stinker in the defeat at Oxford (although he wasn’t alone in that), Duffy has been excellent alongside first Doyle, and now Cordoba.

Thorup promised to provide City with a clear identity and that’s what is developing. It’s not just about keeping possession, but about knowing when to be progressive and when to play safe. That’s something that can only be learnt through experience, which is why we should expect the occasional setback, but as long as the general direction of travel is forwards I don’t think that anyone will have much of a problem with that.

After three seasons of incessant passing between the back four and goalkeeper it is really refreshing to see the ball being moved with purpose again and last week’s fourth goal was one to relish, not least because three substitutes were actively involved in it.

This is another area in which Thorup has brought improvement. He is not afraid to make early changes if plans are not working, and while City were well in control last week the substitutes still provided an injection of energy, with Jack Stacey and Ben Chrisene making lung bursting runs for that final goal.

It was also refreshing to hear him criticise his players for taking their foot off the gas after the third goal and allowing Watford to put them under pressure instead of going for the jugular.

Under both Dean Smith and David Wagner, City’s mentality on going ahead was to try to hold on to what they had rather than to push on and try to get more goals, but clearly that negative mindset is something that Thorup is keen to eradicate, and there will be few fans who will be critical of that sort of thinking.

The task facing Thorup now is going to be producing last week’s performance level on a regular basis. It won’t always happen, but it should be fun to watch.