Manchester City win, Arsenal lose and David Luiz has an evening to forget. Back to normality, you might say.
In these unprecedented times, there was something reassuringly familiar about Luiz’s calamitous 25-minute cameo, which resulted the first goals, the first red card and the gifted the first three points of the Premier League's Project Restart.
Raheem Sterling’s breakthrough, Kevin De Bruyne’s penalty – both the product of Luiz errors – and a late Phil Foden goal were enough to secure a routine victory for the defending champions, which ensures that Liverpool cannot win the title in Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
City’s evening was only overshadowed by a potentially serious head injury suffered by teenage centre-half Eric Garcia, who was stretchered off the pitch with his neck in a brace after colliding with his own goalkeeper Ederson during the closing stages.
This was billed as a meeting of master and apprentice, but it was a reminder Mikel Arteta has much to learn. If he is to remould Arsenal in Pep Guardiola’s image, this is the high, exacting standard they must reach.
Arteta’s gameplan was, in fairness, disrupted by injury. Both Granit Xhaka and Mari had to be replaced with apparent muscle problems in the opening 25 minutes. Without them, perhaps Luiz would not have been introduced and perhaps defeat would be avoided.
Perhaps. Yet even in the early stages, when both sides were clearly shaking off the dust that gathers after three months without play, City were the more comfortable and coherent side in possession.
Bernd Leno, the Arsenal goalkeeper, bailed his defence out on several occasions towards the end of the first half, denying David Silva and Mahrez in quick succession. One smart dash off his line also flustered Sterling, who chipped De Bruyne’s through ball over.
Then came Luiz’s decisive contributions. Sterling’s breakthrough, on the cusp of half time, only came about after the Brazilian failed in his attempt to intercept a raking Kevin De Bruyne pass, instead letting it deflect off his knee and run through.
Four minutes into the second half, Luiz was at fault again when he pulled Riyad Mahrez back as he cut in from the right-hand edge of the penalty area. Referee Anthony Taylor had little choice but to show the defender his second red card of the season.
This could now be Luiz’s last Arsenal outing if negotiations to extend his stay beyond the end of the month prove unsuccessful. Though a brilliant defender on his day, these are the displays that Arteta and supporters will not miss.
De Bruyne converted from the spot and, with that, Arsenal's strange unbeaten league record stretching back to New Year's Day - with as many draws as wins - ended.
Whatever secret weaknesses Arteta learned of while working under Guardiola, he could not exploit them. The visitors managed just three shots at Ederson’s goal, none of them on target.
That may help explain the City goalkeeper’s rustiness when rushing out late on and mistiming to collide with Garcia. There was significant concern for the teenager, who is highly thought-of in east Manchester and making his third Premier League start.
The lengthy treatment he received led to 11 minutes of added-on time, all told. Foden scored in the first of them, slipping past Leno after Sterling’s through pass, but City’s thoughts at the final whistle were only with Garcia.
