Festive cheer for Guardiola as City break their home drought

Pep Guardiola knew how important this was. Knew how important it was to put hard points alongside philosophy.

And for once, victory – and not the performance – was all that mattered to Guardiola. Knew how important it was to reply to sceptics with a tangible rather than intangible.

A win on the board rather than just in his heart and mind.

Set up by the Pablo Zabaleta goal that produced the celebration, this was not pretty. But David Silva struck late on to finally settle City nerves and secure victory.

And for once, victory – and not the performance mance – was al l that hat matt e red to Guardiola a (right).

But th e beauty was purely in a first Premier League win at t then Etihad since ce mid-September. r.

Pep came over r a little bit Jose in his programme notes, talking about the ‘process’ and asking supporters to take positives from a laceration at Leicester. Like you do.

Pleasant distraction can always be found by playing Guess Guardiola’s Line-up. Just the five changes this time, including the demotion of John Stones, taking the season’s tally to 55 – a mere 27 to his defence. Mind you, Walter MazzarriMazz can spring a teamshe e t su surprise, as Troy DeeneyD was leftl on the bench. The trouble with GuardioG la’s churnch of players andan systems is that t there is often a hint of c confusion. Against Leicester, that confusion coursed through the defence. In the early stages here, it seeped upfield. Viewed positively, you could say there was a fluidity to the attacking unit, Kevin De Bruyne roaming across the frontline, likewise Nolito.

Viewed negatively, there seemed to be little structure.

Indeed, there was a certain irony that Raheem Sterling and Nolito got in each other’s way in the build-up to the opening goal. Nolito, though, fended off his team-mate before inviting De Bruyne to deliver from wide. Deliver he did – a ball that dropped on to the boot of Zabaleta, who celebrated his volley in the manner one would expect from someone who had not scored a Premier League goal for two years.

Zabaleta roamed like a lost soul at Leicester. At least in a more conventional right-back role, he looked a lot more comfortable.

Comfort was not the friend of Ilkay Gundogan, whose pain was instant after a collision with Nordin Amrabat.

His City debut was delayed by a serious knee injury – it now looks like the same affliction will trigger another absence. Gundogan was replaced by Fernando but it did not matter that much.

While they set up to be relatively ambitious, there was a lethargy about Watford, almost as though they were conserving energy for more inviting challenges. There was