There was fury at the final whistle. The home crowd booed, Ashley Cole ran onto jab an angry finger at Paul Tierney and Donny van de Beek joined Everton’s coach to bark at the referee and his assistants. Cole got himself a booking; Van de Beek almost turned puce.

As the tempest began to swell, Pep Guardiola slipped quietly past and embraced the Manchester City players within his vicinity. Finally, he was smiling but it was nearly not the case. Guardiola’s team had eked out a scruffy 1-0 victory and that was all that mattered.

This was not the City we have come to expect. They huffed and puffed with little end product and Everton, who worked prodigiously, deserved more. Poor Michael Keane looked crestfallen at the end, as his mistake had presented Phil Foden with the chance to pilfer the decisive goal.

Guardiola was adamant that his team were worthy winners and they have re-opened a six point lead over Liverpool. But there are managers for him to address and, when he reflects on this display, he will appreciate why Frank Lampard was so livid.

You could see as early as the 12th minute that something was vexing Guardiola. He does his best to watch from a seat in the dugout but, when things don’t go as he envisages, up the Catalan gets, fidgeting, gesticulating and barking out instructions.

Here, a promising move down the right had broken down and Guardiola began to bubble like a saucepan approaching boiling point. He waved his arms at Raheem Sterling, his eyes were wide and it was obvious to all that this was nothing like the City we have come to expect.

His anxiety began to transmit to Evertonians and, quickly, the noise levels increased. Each successful tackle was greeted with a roar of approval, each sprint to close down space was roared on with gusto. When you see the home team working like this, you cannot fathom why they are in trouble.
Nobody epitomised Everton’s endeavour and courage more than Jonjoe Kenny, who scuttled from his left-back station in the 22nd minute all the way across to the other side of the pitch to make a sliding tackle on Kevin De Bruyne that stopped City’s talisman dead in his tracks.