Ahead of Manchester City's clash with Southampton on Saturday, it was made clear by Bernardo Silva that the game was must-win for Pep Guardiola's side.
And as the Portugal international left the pitch at the St. Mary's Stadium, he did so knowing that he had given everything to ensure that they did leave with three points.
With City kicking-off 11 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after back-to-back bore draws against Manchester United and West Brom, the pressure was starting to build on Guardiola and his star-studded squad.
Bernardo was one who has certainly been feeling the heat as he attempts to put a difficult 18 months behind him and get back to his very best.
During City’s last title-winning season in 2018-19, Bernardo was the champions’ standout performer, with Guardiola even picking him out as his Player of the Year.
The 26-year-old would go on to pick up an individual accolade a couple of months later when he outshone Cristiano Ronaldo to be named the Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Nations League finals as Portugal came out on top on home soil.
However, that tiring season - during which Bernardo picked up four trophies in the space of 12 months - seems to have taken its toll on the playmaker, and he has been struggling to rediscover his best form ever since.
There was a hope that he would benefit from a restart that the new season provides and potentially offer an alternative as a replacement for the influential David Silva following the Spaniard’s departure in the summer.
But frustrations have continued, and Bernardo has found himself in and out of the City side.
Saturday’s victory marked just his fifth Premier League start of the season, and his first in six weeks since the defeat to Tottenham.
Against Southampton there were glimpses of the old magic that made him the most valuable player in the last title triumph, with his relentless hard work and quick feet allowing him open up defences with his dribbling.
At St Mary’s, he was tireless - driving his side forward as he led the line with courage in the absence of a recognised striker while working back to help stop any potential counterattacks from the home side.
He was also heavily involved in the only goal of a game that saw Ralph Hasenhuttl's side play without fear as they battled for a win that would have lifted them, even if just temporarily, to second in the table.
Starting on the right wing, Bernardo put Ryan Bertrand under pressure from Ederson’s long pass upfield before neatly working with Kevin De Bruyne as they cut open the Saints defence for the Belgian to precisely pick out goalscorer Raheem Sterling.
It proved to be the decisive moment, although City really should have had more as Guardiola bemoaned a lack of goals after a run that has seen his team score just four in their last four league outings.
Bernardo himself was guilty of spurning a couple of good chances. He shot weakly at Alex McCarthy from 10 yards after crafting a chance for himself and, late in the game, picked out Riyad Mahrez, who blasted over, when he looked in a better place to score.
Bernardo has undoubtedly lost some confidence in front of goal. He is yet to score for City this season and has just one league goal in the last 12 months. In the title-winning campaign of 18-19, he scored 13 in all competitions.
City, themselves, had 40 goals from their opening 13 matches that season. With just 19 so far, Guardiola is concerned it will undermine their title challenge.
“We accept the momentum in front of goal is not good,” he said on the same day that Liverpool scored seven in their crushing win over Crystal Palace.
“Look at the table,” he added when asked about the title race. “It's a lot of points, [Liverpool] still have momentum in goals, 0-7 at Crystal Palace away, they did so good against Tottenham in their last home game.”
If City are to close the gap, then Bernardo's determination and guile in forward areas could help provide a spark if he can stay in the team.
With the quality he has shown in the past, there is no doubt that he can be an important figure to City’s hopes of landing a third title in four years.
