Manchester City 1 Everton 1: Pep Guardiola's tunnel vision becomes foggy

The first home date of Guardiola’s second season in charge started with a bang – literally – with an over-wrought display of pyrotechnics that left the field shrouded in a fog so dense it looked as though kick-off might have to be delayed.

It was all part of a new package City have rolled out for the campaign; “The Tunnel Club,” a £15,000 per seat, per season experience that allows fans access to the pitch before the game and a special tunnel area where a two-way mirror permits them to get up close and personal to their stars.

Sir Alex Ferguson, watching from the “cheaper” seats in the stands last night, could bear witness to the danger of that idea when football tunnels can be the scene of some combustible moments over the course of a season. But those worries were, hopefully, for another day.

For now, once the mist had lifted from that ill-conceived firework display, the question was whether the on-field hype will match all the hype off it.

Guardiola’s position at City is unique among Premier League managers; his close relationship with the club’s owners and upper management so water tight that it would take a season of cataclysmic proportions for him to come under any pressure whatsoever.

But after enduring the first season of his managerial career without silverware, his own high standards will demand success in year two of the Guardiola-risation of City.

And so it should. This summer, City spent more than £210million – £130m of that on three full-backs in a manic 10-day period – to take his career spending through the billion euro barrier; £400m of it with City.

By general consensus, his buying was superb as, just as importantly, were the deals that City managed to pull off to get dead weight out of the dressing room and off the wage bill.

For Everton’s visit, however, only two newcomers started – goalkeeper Ederson, who is supposed to solve the thorny problem of a solid number one after the Claudio Bravo experiment ended poorly last season, and the England full-back Kyle Walker.

Walker, along with Benjamin Mendy and Danilo, was signed as much for attacking as defensive abilities and a couple of his marauding early runs last night showcased his raw speed to a ridiculous degree. Many a left-back this season will wake up in a cold sweat from flashbacks of trying to keep up with him.

But Guardiola needs no reminding that football is an inexact science and, also, needed no reminding of his dislike of English officiating.

If he did need any such reminder, here it was in the final 10 minutes of the first half as Wayne Rooney – who else? – gave Everton the lead with a shot through Ederson’s legs and Bobby Madley made an appalling decision to hand Walker a second yellow card, two minutes after his first.