There was a big puff of the cheeks for Pep Guardiola as the win sunk in – he knew his side were in more of a fight than many expected.

Fulham weathered the early pressure and settled in defence. They did really well on the break, exposing Manchester City at times and gained huge confidence as the game went on.

In as much as a manager can be happy with a loss, you imagine Marco Silva will appreciate a lot of what his team showed. It could also have been so different if Adama Traore was able to finish any of the three chances when he was one on one with Ederson.

There were lots of supportive claps on his shoulder and back at full-time from team-mates and from Silva, who was also deep in a long conversation with Guardiola post-match.

As City adjust to the loss of Rodri, Mateo Kovacic put in a really good shift, along with scoring the crucial goals that pulled them level and then ahead.

However, you still feel they are a little unsettled and Kevin de Bruyne will be a welcome return after the international break if all goes well.

But they got the win which was so important for them after back-to-back draws – and they didn’t even have to rely on Erling Haaland for the goals.