In these early Rodri-less days Manchester City lack the stranglehold the peerless No 6 offers, so Pep Guardiola, as promised, is finding solutions. This time there was a two-goal show from Mateo Kovacic, who, operating in the Spaniard’s berth, equalled his goal tally of last season with an equaliser then City’s second.

But the champions are far more open, as Andreas Pereira’s opener and Rodrigo Muniz’s 88th-minute finish for Fulham illustrated, along with other passages, as during the second half when their keep-ball ended with Josko Gvardiol flinging himself to the ground to block Raúl Jiménez’s effort near the penalty spot.