In these early days without Rodri, Manchester City lack the stranglehold of the unparalleled number 6 offers, so Pep Guardiola, as promised, is looking for solutions. This time there was a two-goal show from Mateo Kovacic who, operating in the Spaniard’s berth, equaled his goal tally from last season with an equalizer and then City’s second.

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

Muniz’s goal also came when City were played through. Emile Smith Rowe passed on the right to Reiss Nelson, who passed the ball to the Brazilian and he made no mistake.

And while Jérémy Doku’s clever shoulder dip and move to his right to allow a thumping right-foot finish proved decisive, City’s level of discomfort was found in the match that ended with them in quasi-holding -on mode, plus Ederson going in the book for slow play and his manager following suit for his subsequent sarcastic applause.

The early menu consisted of a plethora of city opportunities. Ilkay Gündogan slipped into Erling Haaland, but Bernd Leno saved the shot. Gündogan ran through, but his attempted steering with his left boot went wide. Haaland did the same: missed on the right. Rico Lewis was upended by Sasa Lukic, Bernardo Silva was City’s draft stopper in the Fulham wall and Haaland smashed the free-kick into him. Ouch.

From here City lost the thread. Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Lewis were all clumsy, and the last of them was particularly wayward as they turned Adama Traore’s blistering pace the wrong way. Suddenly the number 11 shot and although Ederson guessed wrong, his legs saved his team.

Perhaps it’s easy to read all this into Rodri’s absence, but firmer evidence came in Pereira’s conclusion. Firstly, City might have been able to shift the opposition through the Spaniard’s subtle link play, keeping Fulham out of possession. Secondly, he would certainly have stopped Marco Silva’s side who foraged to the left and switched to the right. Instead, the impressive Alex Iwobi was able to deliver a beautiful cross onto the back heel and Pereira volleyed home.

A carbon agent almost followed suit. Another stray Grealish pass allowed Jiménez to feed Pereira. The No. 18 sprinted 60 meters down the right and found Iwobi, who put Traoré in front of the goal; but as Ederson approached, the No. 11 crossed.

In the technical zone, Silva couldn’t believe the miss. His side soon paid. After going upfield, City claimed a corner and from it the ball fell to Kovacic. His immediate goal deflected off Joachim Andersen’s leg, wrong-footing Leno and making it 1-1.

Before the second half, Guardiola gave a final encouragement to his players in the tunnel and seconds later Kovacic scored again. Grealish passed to Foden on the left and he chipped to Silva, whose chest-and-pass to the Croatian was as brutal as the latter’s right-kicked sweep that knocked Leno to the left.

City made a double substitution on the hour mark: Grealish and Manuel Akanji left and Doku and Kyle Walker came on. Lewis, who was preferred in the XI rather than captain, remained at right-back and Walker took Akanji’s central defensive berth. In balance, grace and technical mastery, Lewis is the blueprint of Guardiola footballer: all these characteristics were deployed in the thorax control of the ball and the volley that could have beaten Leno if he had not hit Haaland.

Walker’s game revolves around his famous pace, but he could not stop Traore from racing away before once again lacking the fatal eye to beat Ederson. Muniz did reduce the deficit, but at the final whistle Traoré and his teammates regretted the misses.