Not for the first time in this topsy-turvy campaign, Manchester City found welcome respite in the Champions League.
If the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend raised more questions about the consistency and creativity of Pep Guardiola's team, this narrow 1-0 win over Olympiacos thanks to a Phil Foden goal was the sort of routine victory the Blues are used to achieving domestically - even if it did little to suggest their goals issue is behind them.
Guardiola was hoping that something from this game - and the better injury situation - can spark an improvement in the Premier League. But after a performance that again failed to sparkle for sustained periods, Burnley will not feel any more concerned ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixture.
In a week where there was tentatively good news about fans being able to return to stadiums, football still feels a long way off being normal even for the players. City spent less than half the time in Athens that they normally would for a European away, arriving late on Tuesday evening before departing shortly after they had played in an empty ground.
After a minute's silence quickly convened to mark the passing of the great Diego Maradona, the Blues looked to be a team in a hurry. Benjamin Mendy, back in the side for his first start in nearly two months, regularly occupied the space high on the left wing and was involved in two efforts at goal in the opening four minutes.
The clinical edge may not have arrived instantly but there was enough intent from their start to suggest they were in for a comfortable night, with Phil Foden, Rodri and Gabriel Jesus all forcing the goalkeeper into saves early on.
As has already happened too often this season though, the early momentum fell away as City became more and more ground down by an injury-hit Olympiacos side that were only too happy to slow the game down.
However, energised by a break in play as Rodri got some treatment, the Blues sliced the hosts apart shortly before the break; Jesus played in Raheem Sterling in the box and his backheel found Foden to confidently slot home his third goal in a week.
Such a slick goal highlighted the good and bad of the team so far this season: capable of enough wonderful moments to not be considered ugly, yet not consistently bagging the goals to kill games off earlier.
The good news for the manager was that at least chances were being created.
What Guardiola sounded most encouraged about from his disappearing injury list is the added jeopardy it places on the players. The boss wants to have as many options as possible not just to pair different skills with different opposition but to be able to react to good and bad performances.
There has been a hint of that this season - Riyad Mahrez was dropped from the squad for the Liverpool game - but for the most part Guardiola hasn't had the luxury of taking out the players in the team that aren't performing and it has shown in the displays and results; how many players in front of the defence can be said to have exceeded expectations this season? Arguably none.
Foden, who has not started any of the last four games, made the most compelling case to keep his place for Burnley with a confident performance that also included the opening goals. Mendy was also bright, but with Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne stepping back in at the weekend there are plenty of players that will still need to impress in training on Friday.
The biggest conundrum, scoring goals, will also still be a concern for the coach.
When more chances came in the second half, no player really looked like stepping up with defender Joao Cancelo finding the space for the clearest opportunities but being unable to beat the goalkeeper.
Sterling is now goalless in five and has just five in 14 City appearances this season, well down on last season. Jesus in recent games has not shown the edge he displayed before the international break, while Sergio Aguero is being eased in gently as he played just the final 13 minutes of this game for his first minutes since pulling a hamstring last month at West Ham.
If there was a spark that the manager is looking for to show that this team can return to their prolific best, it wasn't easily evident here and against opposition that were there for the taking. The treatment tables are so full at Olympiacos that coach Pedro Martins decided to cut two training sessions short last week because he was worried they would only serve to cause more injuries.
As far as the Champions League is concerned, this was mission accomplished. Four wins from four matches is the best start to a group Guardiola has made at City and is impossible to improve on. Top spot was never going to be decided in this matchweek given Porto's tally, with a point needed next week in Portugal to guarantee the Blues an easier tie on paper in the last-16.
The best thing for confidence is winning and Aguero's return with a clean sheet for John Stones et all can only help boost the morale in the group as they jet back to Manchester.
Ultimately, though, it will not be seen as a positive week in the season if the team do not pick up three points at the weekend in the Premier League where they can expect a much stiffer test against less limited opposition. That remains the priority and Guardiola will have to search hard for any answers he was hoping to pick up from this game and use going forward.
