Indeed, Pep, but can you do it in a tough borough like Walton when vile January winds whoosh up Goodison Road and cold Irish Sea rains soak shirts, potentially dampening spirits?

Not on this occasion; not when he is also facing a midfielder with the talent and raw-enthusiasm of Tom Davies, the teenage Everton midfielder who chose this game to propel himself into the nation’s spotlight, scoring a goal that only the great 18-year-olds tend to score.

Davies hails from the same football family as Alan Whittle, the former Everton forward many describe as a maverick. After leaving Everton, Whittle’s career took him to Iran where he played for Persepolis for a year until he was forced to return to Britain after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Whittle’s emigration, at a time very few footballers chose such a path, meant he became a recognisable sporting figure in the country, or as he put it – telling the Evertonian in 2008, “I was big in Iran.”

Should his nephew Davies continue to perform as he did here, he might gain rather more fame than his uncle in his homeland. Davies's involvement in Everton’s opening goal had already been an outstanding feature of the day before he made it 3-0; sprinting down the length of the Bullens Road stand before executing a sublime piece of skill that made Yaya Touré and Gaël Clichy look like yesterday’s men. Ross Barkley’s pass left him running towards the Gwladys Street end, the famous end in the ground. That didn’t bother Davies, though. His lift over Claudio Bravo was cool.

This was a terrible afternoon for Pep Guardiola and City; one which exposed where their problems lay, largely due to the youthful magnificence of Everton menfolk like Davies, Mason Holgate and Ademola Lookman, who scored on his Everton debut to make it 4-0.

Guardiola suffered his biggest ever league defeat as a manager (Getty)

Guardiola’s all-conquering teams at Barcelona and Bayern Munich had great players but there was also a platform to build from involving midfielders at their peak condition, able to dominate and control their space on the field. He also had full-backs able to embrace their creative responsibilities.

Look at the age of City’s players in those areas: Bacary Sagna will be 34 next month, Clichy is 31, Pablo Zabaleta will be 32 tomorrow and Touré (with strapping on his knee) is 33.

Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Joel Robles - 7 out of 10 Quick off his line when City got in behind the Everton defence in the first half. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Seamus Coleman - 7 out of 10 More restricted in his attacking than usual, but still managed to bag an injury time assist. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Leighton Baines - 7 out of 10 Creative in attack, resolute in defence. The wing-back remains a big part of Everton's team. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Ashley Williams - 7 out of 10 Covered well when De Bruyne peppered deliveries in from the left. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Ramiro Funes Mori - 6 out of 10 Frustrated Aguero for long periods although often found himself chasing runners behind. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Mason Holgate - 7 out of 10 Making only his 2nd Premier League start, the youngster showed maturity as part of a back three. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Gareth Barry - 7 out of 10 A big influence in midfield, he kept Everton's game simple but effective. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Tom Davies - 9 out of 10 A busy, bustling midfield display from the impressive youngster who capped a great performance with a great goal. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Kevin Mirallas - 8 out of 10 Terrorised the City defence and ended with a goal and assist to his name. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Ross Barkley - 7 out of 10 A more mature performance from the forward than of late, his pass for Mirallas' goal being a highlight. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 8 out of 10 Opened the scoring with an assured finish and kept City's centre-backs under pressure all game. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Claudio Bravo - 2 out of 10 A nightmare afternoon for the much-maligned goalkeeper who conceded four of the five on target shots he faced. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Bacary Sagna - 6 out of 10 An interesting outlet for City on the right, he nearly brought them level with a looping header at the end of the first half. AFP/Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings John Stones - 5 out of 10 A difficult return to his former club, his confidence suffered as his team leaked goals. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Nicolas Otamendi - 4 out of 10 Bullied by Lukaku, he let himself down with some preposterous playacting in injury time. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Gael Clichy - 5 out of 10 Patrolled the left flank, but was poor in possession. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Yaya Toure - 5 out of 10 Phoning it in. A player of his ability should be offering his side more. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Pablo Zabaleta - 5 out of 10 Started in midfield, the Argentine flew into tackles with normal gusto but lacked the awareness and creativity required. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Kevin De Bruyne - 7 out of 10 City's best performer, he troubled Everton down the left for long periods. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Raheem Sterling - 6 out of 10 Full of pace and energy, he should have had a first half penalty. Faded late on. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings David Silva - 6 out of 10 Typically slick in his movement, particularly in the first half, but was often crowded out by Everton's defence. Getty Images Everton vs Manchester City player ratings Sergio Aguero - 5 out of 10 Always lively in and outside of the box, but had few opportunities to strike and grew frustrated. Getty Images

Guardiola must know that over the course of a campaign, facts like these will prove to be significant. He is unfortunate that İlkay Gündoğan’s injury is season-ending. Though Fernandinho was suspended for this game, he probably needs to replace three or four players to make City better.

The sight of Touré trying to stop Davies had been a regular theme. Everton’s opening goal was beautiful in its simplicity and a consequence of some sluggish reactions in City’s midfield. Clichy was at fault for City, passing straight to Davies; though from there, there remained much to do.

Davies put in a fantastic performance for his hometown club (Getty)

The way he glided through the midfield, ignoring the opponents of considerable girth like Touré, suggested there is a calmness to his confidence. Davies was able to hold his release, appreciating the right time to supply Kevin Mirallas with the weight of pass which made it easier for the Belgian make a quick switch, which in turn found Romelu Lukaku on the penalty spot in front of the Park End with an open net in front of him.

It was the seventh time this season City had conceded following the first shot from the opposition on their goal. When Everton’s second shot of the game came, there was the same outcome: a goal, this time for Mirallas, who shoveled his finish past Bravo, giving the Chilean no chance.

(AFP/Getty Images)

John Stones, returning to Goodison for the first time since his £50million move to City, had slipped in the moments before, affording Barkley possession. City had been hopeless in both boxes but they were, perhaps, unfortunate too. In the first half - at 0-0 - a penalty could have been theirs when Joel Robles and Leighton Baines combined to bring down Raheem Sterling. Baines’s facial expression suggested a level of guilt but referee Mark Clattenburg concluded, however, there had been no infringement.