The performance of champions.
It's a phrase that gets thrown around with increasing frequency as a title race takes shape and the twists and turns start to jolt a little.
And, if we're being entirely honest, it can mean whatever you want it to.
The full-time whistle after the 90-minute dirge of Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United was greeted by the odd soundtrack of silence punctuated by grumbled murmuring at Anfield. It sounded more like a congregation leaving a funeral than one of the great occasions on the English football calendar.
Liverpool weren't very good. United aren't very good, and the expectation of something similar to last season's 7-0 mauling on Merseyside appeared to hinder Jurgen Klopp's side after they failed to secure an early breakthrough.
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The hosts did not create enough, badly lacked midfield rhythm without the injured Alexis Mac Allister and appeared to run out of ideas beyond Trent Alexander-Arnold's eloquent right boot.
But if someone had converted one of the England international's whipped crosses, Anfield would have been in raptures, Klopp would have gleefully launched into his post-match fist pump routine and all and sundry would have hailed the "performance of champions".
Gutsing out a win when you're not at your best. That's what champions do.
True enough, and it's notable that a Manchester City side chasing an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown are not doing that at the moment. Pep Guardiola's team have drawn their past three home games, twice on account of injury-time equalisers and having led all of them.
If those elements feel like a repeat of City's flakiness in both boxes during the 2019/20 season, when they last failed to win the league, then results such as Liverpool's against United and the failure to shake off the champions might precede a repeat of 2020/21, when an off-colour City clicked irresistibly into gear at the turn of the year.
MORE: Man City let Crystal Palace lead slip in huge shock for Pep Guardiola
For now, holding a 2-0 lead against an injury-hit Crystal Palace team with one win to their name since September and contriving to draw the match is absolutely, indisputably not the performance of would-be champions.
The weekend results leave Liverpool as they were, four points better off than City and level on points with Aston Villa. Unai Emery's surprise package beat Arsenal last weekend and came from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1 in a tempestuous affair, ticking a fair few performance-of-champions boxes in the process.
And yet, as we approach Christmas and City prepare for the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, it is Arsenal who are back on top of the pile.
Mikel Arteta's side have a few dramatic late wins in their recent history. Declan Rice securing a 4-3 victory at Luton deep into injury time serves as the most recent example. However, they also claimed a few wins like that last season and things seemed to catch up with them as City motored to glory down the stretch.
You see, the true performances of champions are the ones that don't immediately catch the eye. Like, for example, a game not broadcast live on UK television where the title contender beats a very good opponent by completely dominating every facet of the match. Total control and authority, especially in this age of 90-plus points totals, is what champions do.
"Arsenal are one of the best… maybe this season the best team in the Premier League," Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said after his team lost 2-0 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Albion did not muster a shot in the first half.
"We are not used to suffering in this way. We are used to controlling the game. But I am proud of the performance of my players because we suffered with the right attitude and mentality."
MORE: How Arsenal overcame Brighton in impressive style
Indeed, Brighton are not used to that sort of scenario. Particularly since De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter, they have bloodied many an illustrious nose — not least that of Arsenal, who had lost their previous three home games against the Seagulls in all competitions.
The most recent of those effectively handed the title to City in May and the authority and poise of Arteta's side, who somehow went in goalless at the break, was the latest example of how they have taken a solid step forward from last season's exploits.
Next weekend, they face an even more torturous fixture: Liverpool at Anfield. The Gunners stuttered on Merseyside during the title run-in last term and have suffered a sustained spell of misery against the Reds.
If they can hold their fine form and open up a four-point lead, it would be some performance. The performance of champions? Very possibly.
