Alex Neil praised his “exciting” Stoke side as they demolished 10-man Rotherham with a 4-1 Championship win.
Maritimo recruit Andre Vidigal was the highlight of the Potters’ six debutants as he capped an impressive display with a brace.
“I thought we looked like an exciting team,” Neil said. “We wanted to start the season well because there’s been a lot of optimism and a lot of talk.
“But the talk was always going to stop, so to win in the manner in which we did was very pleasing.”
Ki-Jana Hoever, returning for a second loan spell at the club, emphatically volleyed in the opener inside five minutes, while Vidigal’s quickfire double in first-half added time then handed Stoke a comfortable lead.
The Millers threatened a comeback when substitute Lee Peltier scored with his first touch straight after the restart.
However, Cafu’s red card ended any hope of a Rotherham reprieve and Jacob Brown capitalised to add the hosts’ fourth late on.
Neil added: “I thought the first goal was excellent and that set the tone, so to go on and score four goals was something we didn’t do very often last season.
“And to do it with six debutants in the team and a few more new players who came on, that speaks volumes for where the lads are.
“To get some of the new guys to score and get some of the performances we got – and to win at home so emphatically – was very pleasing.”
Neil singled out new addition Vidigal for individual praise, with the winger becoming the first Stoke player to net a brace on his debut since John Tudor in 1976.
He added: “It’s hard not to pick him (as man of the match) because he scored two goals and he had a header in the second half which their keeper made a wonderful save.
“He was really effective in the game. You can see his hunger to get into the middle of the box and get a goal and that’s going to be vitally important for us this season.”
Rotherham boss Matt Taylor expressed his frustration in a difficult afternoon for his visiting side.
“It was a tough afternoon for us,” he said.
“They’re a good team and they got on the front foot and we struggled to get any aspect of control.
“We did well to keep it at 1-0 for a large period of the first half and I was pleased that we showed enough character to stay in the game.
“But then (conceding) two goals in quick succession is really frustrating and it looked like a mountain to climb.
“There’s lots to take from it in terms of where we have to improve, but character and personality-wise, we were better in the second half.
“A lot of teams go two or three behind and almost when you’ve got nothing to lose, you play differently when the pressure’s off.
“Mentally we had nothing to lose and we asked them to show a little bit more belief; they started to show it but when Cafu got sent off, it was a difficult one for us.
“We weren’t sharp enough, bright enough or good enough in that first half and we know we can be better.
“We’ve caught a good team on a very good day and a poor day for ourselves, but we know we can improve in certain areas.”
Guardiola: Time for Man City's Tottenham hoodoo to end
Pep Guardiola knows Manchester City have no choice but to end their Premier League hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, saying anything but a win will hand Arsenal the title.
Following Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday, City are one point behind the Gunners at the summit with a game in hand.
Arsenal are now in the unenviable position of needing a favour from their North London rivals, as a City win will ensure they enter this weekend's final set of fixtures with the title race in their hands.
However, City have lost on all four of their visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without scoring, though they did manage a 1-0 FA Cup win there in January.
Only Birmingham City (seven at Old Trafford) have played more Premier League games at a specific stadium without finding the net.
Asked about the importance of ending that record, Guardiola said: "It's obvious, I would say. We have just one option, win the game. We will go from there.
"We played really well there many times but weren't able to score or win games. We are trying to do something special, so we have to do that this time.
"This is the time to do it, otherwise Arsenal will be champions."
Some Tottenham fans have expressed unease about the prospect of helping their old enemies end their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England, but Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has hit out at those questioning his team's motivation.
"What do you think we're going to do as a team? Like any team on this planet, aren't we just going to try and win? It's a simple, basic premise," Postecoglou said.
"Now how that makes people feel, I'm not really fussed. I don't really care."
Touching on City's hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, he added: "Sometimes people think once you win it once it becomes easier, but it becomes harder.
"It's a testament not just to Pep but the whole organisation and how they want to achieve success."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tottenham – Dejan Kulusevski
Kulsevski has been directly involved in five goals in his four Premier League games against City, more than he has versus any other opponent in the competition (three goals, two assists).
The Swede scored a last-minute equaliser as the sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in December's reverse fixture, but he has failed to net in any of his last 11 Premier League matches.
Manchester City – Phil Foden
Foden and Jack Grealish both scored in City's reverse fixture against Spurs. The only previous players to score home and away against Tottenham in a Premier League season for the Citizens are Sergio Aguero (2013-14 and 2014-15), Ilkay Gundogan (2017-18) and Raheem Sterling (2017-18).
Foden netted his 25th goal of the campaign across all competitions in City's 4-0 rout of Fulham on Saturday, and the Player of the Season candidate will play a key role here.
MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER CITY WIN
Arsenal supporters may not feel great about having to cheer on their old rivals, but history suggests Tottenham have a chance of providing a twist in the title race – regardless of how their own fans feel about that prospect.
Indeed, City have lost more Premier League games against Tottenham under Guardiola (six), than they have against any other side.
The champions, however, are in ominous form, going unbeaten through their last 21 Premier League matches (17 wins, four draws).
Only once have they enjoyed a longer run in the competition, going 30 without losing between April 2017 and January 2018.
They have also won their last four away league games, the last three of them by an aggregate score of 10-0. Only once in their league history have they won four in a row on the road without conceding, doing so as a second-tier club between March and April 1903.
Regardless of their terrible record on this ground, it is difficult to see the champions slipping up.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Tottenham – 20.1%
Manchester City – 54.8%
Draw – 25.1%
Spurs will not 'roll out red carpet' for Man City - Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou does not believe the Tottenham fans want their side to lose and insists his side will not "roll out the red carpet" for Manchester City.
The Premier League title race will go down to the final day after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, but it is yet to be decided who will go into the last match on top of the table.
City sit one point behind the Gunners, and if they win their game in hand over Spurs on Tuesday, they will reclaim top spot.
However, an Aston Villa win over Liverpool on Monday would end Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification, meaning they would have nothing to play for against the title holders.
Arsenal need a favour from their North London rivals if they want to win their first Premier League title since 2004, but Postecoglou says he does not believe that will affect what result the fans want.
He said: "You think the majority of our fans are not going to want us to win?
"I don't see it that way. I think the majority of our fans will create the atmosphere they always create at our games. We've got a game of football to win and that's what we'll try to do.
"City haven't won it yet and if you think they have, then it becomes an issue because we're rolling out a red carpet for them, and I'm not going to do that.
"I'm not just going to sit there and watch them win. That doesn't sit comfortably with me."
Pressed on if a proportion of fans would be against a positive result, Postecoglou added: "A proportion of our fans? What does that mean? What proportion? 50 per cent? 20 per cent? One per cent?
"That's fine, people are allowed to feel the way they do.
"But I think I've been consistent and really strong in my beliefs that it's important for this football club not to look for silver bullets to get to where we want to; it's hard work, it's resilience, it's quality, not to fall for any false dawns - and know what real success looks like: trophies.
"Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, is absolutely meaningless to me or anyone involved with me. We've got a game we want to win."
Miedema to leave Arsenal at end of season
Arsenal have announced that Women’s Super League all-time record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old signed for Arsenal in 2017 from Bayern Munich, scoring 125 goals and providing 50 assists in 172 appearances in all competitions.
She won the WSL title in 2018-19 and lifted three Conti Cups during her time with the Gunners.
Her tally of 79 goals is a league-high record, with the Netherlands international earning the Golden Boot in two consecutive seasons, also setting a league record for the most goals scored in a single season with 22.
In a video posted on Instagram, Miedema said: "After seven special years, it’s time for my Arsenal journey to come to an end.
"To have represented a club like this, with so much history and tradition, has been an absolute honour.
"So, above all else, I would like to say thank you for making this chapter of my life so memorable."
Miedema struggled with injuries during her last two seasons at Arsenal, suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in December 2022 that kept her out for 10 months before having to undergo knee surgery in March, limiting her to 13 appearances this season.
Reports suggest that Manchester City are favourites to sign the striker on a free transfer when her contract expires at the end of the season.
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