went through the gears

Verb

go through the gears (third-person singular simple present goes through the gears, present participle going through the gears, simple past went through the gears, past participle gone through the gears)

1. (idiomatic, informal) To gain momentum; to get up to speed.
   • The visitors kept out their opponents for 33 minutes with some determined defending but City always looked capable of going through the gears and they opened the scoring when Foden drove home from inside the box after Alvarez's shot was blocked.2024 January 7, Gary Rose, “Manchester City 5-0 Huddersfield Town”, in BBC Sport