Foden comes in for flak
Phil Foden had already been given the hairdryer treatment this month after being left on the bench for two games for falling short of the standards on and off the pitch demanded by Pep Guardiola.
His first start since that saw him score the only goal of the game at the Brentford Community Stadium before leading the line superbly in the second half to help the Blues see out their 1-0 win. However, his ability to keep the ball and the willingness of the referee to protect him when opposition players nibbled at his ankles to try to get it back did not go down well at all with a home crowd frustrated by the game stretching beyond their reach.
With post-match interviews pitchside as a result of Covid protocols, Foden had to endure the wrath of the supporters that had stayed after the match while being asked questions about his performance. There were boos, there were chants that he was a cheat, and there were other names thrown at him that are unsuitable to publish.
A first for Foden in his career, probably.
De Bruyne overhead
This happened during the game but was so out of character with everything else that happened it feels very possible that it was instantly shredded from memory.
Kevin De Bruyne did a decent job of being Kevin De Bruyne for the game, providing an inch-perfect assist for the opening goal and flashing up in dangerous positions all game. It was in the second half that he tried another cross into the box - this time from the left side - when the ball was partially blocked and ballooned up tantalisingly.
Thus followed those strange few moments whenever an overhead kick is attempted where everyone in the ground, including the player, thinks: No, Surely Not, Oh Actually, Could It Be, Of Course Not.
The attempt didn't trouble the goalkeeper, but De Bruyne is in the sort of form where he can be forgiven anything.
Guardiola go-slow
Pep Guardiola gave one of his more tactical assessments of the match after the game, and explained how City had deliberately slowed the tempo of the game down in order to nullify the Brentford attack.
City's coaches recognised that Brentford wanted nothing more than an open game - the helter-skelter nature of their 3-3 draw with Liverpool earlier in the season springs to mind - but that does not suit the players that Guardiola has at his disposal at all.
After getting dragged into what Brentford wanted in the first half, the Blues were much better after the break and controlled the game - much to the annoyance of the home fans, who chanted about 'boring, boring City'.
Grealish goes for a walk
Jack Grealish got off the City bus at the stadium and headed straight for the pitch, where he walked around the middle of it for a few minutes on his own.
There was a camera crew hovering nearby and a lone fan barracking him from the stands but it felt like one of the few moments Grealish has been relatively away from the spotlight on the pitch in his short City career, with barely anyone else around as he composed himself for the game.
