Manchester City can only hope their upcoming fight with UEFA proves as straightforward as a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened West Ham that was far more dominant than the scoreline suggested.
Goals in either half from Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne were the only reward for a display in which City boasted almost 80 per cent possession and had 20 shots at goal.
While the scoreline looked routine this was a Premier League match played with an undoubted edge by the hosts.
Ten days after Storm Ciara forced the postponement of the original fixture, the two sides reconvened but with City now facing an altogether different storm.
UEFA’s bombshell announcement on Friday that City would be banned from European competition for two seasons, and fined £24.9million, for “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations had already brought an aggressive response from the club and the promise of a determined appeal.
The second goal eventually arrived just after the hour with De Bruyne the creator and the finisher. The Belgian started the move on the edge of the area, linking up with Bernardo Silva before rifling a low shot under Fabianski.
There was more frustration for Jesus in the 77th minute when Fabianski sprang quickly off his line to block his shot, but the result was already beyond doubt.
The win cut the gap to leaders Liverpool to an entirely academic 22 points but though the title fight is over, much tougher battles await City in the court rooms.
