Manchester City held on to secure a 2-1 win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Monday to get back to winning ways despite going down to 10 men.
Fernandinho saw red for the third time in six games after a two-footed challenge landed him in hot water, and he will now likely face a four-match ban.
However, Pep Guardiola saw his side react well as they looked to bounce back from their loss to Liverpool last time out, with Gael Clichy grabbing a rare goal before substitute Sergio Aguero added a second for the hosts.
The Argentine’s demotion to the bench was a surprise prior to kick-off, but he produced the perfect response as he ultimately sealed all three points.
Ben Mee struck in the second half to set up an anxious finish to the game, but it wasn’t enough to inspire a Burnley comeback.
Unsurprisingly, Fernandinho gets a low mark for his indiscipline, but Nicolas Otamendi was surprisingly one of the best players on the pitch as he grabbed the highest mark of any individual involved in the game as he played his part in getting City off to a winning start in 2017.
Manchester City player ratings: Bravo 6; Sagna 7, Otamendi 8, Kolarov 7, Clichy 7; Toure 7, Fernandinho 4; Navas 6, De Bruyne 7, Sterling 6; Iheanacho 6.
Substitutes: Silva 6, Aguero 7, Stones 6.
Burnley player ratings: Heaton 5; Lowton 7, Keane 6, Mee 7, Ward 7; Boyd 6, Hendrick 6, Arfield 6, Gudmundsson 6; Barnes 6, Gray 5.
Substitutes: Defour 6, Vokes 6, Bamford 6.