Pep Guardiola admitted Albion were a tough nut for Manchester City side to crack.

But he reckoned the title favourites stepped up a gear in the second half.

The City boss was pleased to avoid the sort of upset suffered by Chelsea at home to Burnley and Liverpool at Watford.

Or the scare that Arsenal had at home to Leicester last night.

Guardiola said: “The second half was much better. We were quicker.

“In this type of game, when a team defends with ten players, deep, scoring the first goal is so impatient.

“After that, it was a bit easier.

“The first game is always so complicated. We saw what happened in the other games.

“The first game especially with the newly promoted, when they have the fans, no pressure is always difficult.

“But we did it. We were stable. We conceded just one chance from a corner and after that nothing happened.

“We will try to improve. Attack quicker.”