Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half but lacked a cutting edge without their prolific Norwegian and fell behind in the 47th minute to an Elijah Adebayo header.

The champions kept a cool head, though, and Bernardo equalised with a first-time finish after a wonderful run by the returning Rodri, and just a few minutes later Jack Grealish slid in to put them in front after a lovely pass from Julian Alvarez.

City had to dig deep to see the game out but did enough to grab a badly-needed win, their first in five Premier League games.

GOAL rates Man City’s players from Kenilworth Road…

Goalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (6/10):

Coped well on the few occasions City were put under pressure, couldn’t do much about the goal.

Kyle Walker (5/10):

Beaten in the air by Adebayo. Not tested too much otherwise.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

Dealt well with Luton’s few attacks and got forward a bit, forcing Thomas Kaminski to tip his shot on to the bar.

Nathan Ake (6/10):

Helped City control the game from the back.

Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

Didn’t cover himself in glory. Competent but still not standing out.

Midfield

Bernardo Silva (8/10):

The key to everything. Helped City boss the game and pulled them level with his sharp-shooting. Also dug in defensively.

Rodri (7/10):

Showed City what they were missing at Villa Park with another dominant performance and his classy forward play led to the equaliser.

Mateo Kovacic (5/10):

Made his first start for a month but didn’t make the most of it.

Attack

Phil Foden (7/10):

Always a source of danger but also helped control the game.

Julian Alvarez (6/10):

Didn’t make the most of starting up front alone but at set up the winner with a fine cross.

Jack Grealish (6/10):

Had a quiet first half but got better and was in the right place to score his second goal in as many games.

Subs & Manager

John Stones (6/10):

Gave the team more stability after replacing Gvardiol.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Came on in the 84th minute.

Manuel Akanji (N/A):

Brought on in added time to see the win out.

Pep Guardiola (6/10):

Got a bit stroppy on the sidelines but managed the game well, knowing his side’s dominance would eventually pay off.