As finishes go, it was more Shaun Goater than Kevin De Bruyne but Jack Grealish will not care. His first Manchester City goal may forever remain his worst but he and they are off the mark.
His £100m fee owed more to the silky magnetism of his right foot than an uncertain touch with his left knee yet as the ball bounced in off his leg, Grealish became the most expensive scorer in Premier League history and the prospect of a fourth successive defeat, something Pep Guardiola has never suffered in management, vanished. Without De Bruyne and Phil Foden, let alone Harry Kane, the champions nevertheless ran riot. Norwich’s previous Premier League away game was a 5-0 defeat at the Etihad. They should not savour the symmetry on their return.