Man City 2 West Ham 1: David Silva may have lost some of the headline space hoovered up by the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne this season but in the 83rd minute of this largely uninspiring victory, he showed why he is arguably still the man who makes Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City tick.

Manchester City 3 West Ham 1: If these are the first, stuttering steps of Manchester City’s new era under Pep Guardiola — and make no mistake, there are still deep flaws in his team as his own touchline antics will testify — then the rest of the Premier League could be in trouble when, and if, the manager ever gets his team playing the way he wants.