A decent if largely forgettable weekend in the Premier League finished this afternoon in the form of West Ham's trip to Manchester City.

The Citizens got off to an absolute flyer, with Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho scoring in the opening twenty minutes, but West Ham came into the match after half-time through Michail Antonio - who found the net for the second week in a row.

Unfortunately for the Hammers, chasing another goal opened them up. They were finally punished by Sterling once again, who popped up with another strike in stoppage time to seal a 3-1 win.

It was an intriguing match with plenty of goal-mouth action, expansive football and swings in momentum. And we at Football FanCast like to think something can be learned from every fixture, whether it's a 6-0 pasting or a scoreless draw.

With that in mind, here are the FOUR things we learned from today's game.

NASRI'S NOT OUT OF THE PICTURE

Samir Nasri

Pep Guardiola made a very interesting substitution this afternoon, bringing on one of Manchester City's forgotten men in Samir Nasri for the final 15 minutes.

The French playmaker spent almost the entire of last term sidelined through injury and appeared set for a summer departure after being left out of Guardiola's pre-season plans because he returned to training overweight.

But there's certainly something Guardiola-esque about the former Arsenal technician and it seems the City boss may be willing to give him another chance.

Nasri performed well after entering the action, linking up with City's other attackers and almost getting on the scoresheet after taking the ball past West Ham goalkeeper Adrian - leaving Sam Byram to make a goal-line clearance.

With the summer window set to close on Wednesday, it remains to be seen whether Nasri's simply being window-shopped or if he does have a chance of turning his stuttering City career around.

DIMITRI PAYET, HOWEVER, MAY BE OFF

Dimitri Payet 1

Dimitri Payet's sustained absence this season has annoyed West Ham fans and Fantasy Football enthusiasts alike.

He suffered a knock during Euro 2016 and has thus far managed just 23 minutes for West Ham in the Premier League, which came against Chelsea during the Hammers' first league fixture of the season.

In midweek, Slaven Bilic suggested the talismanic midfielder could be involved again today for arguably the toughest fixture West Ham will have this term.

Rather suspiciously, however, Payet was not only excluded from the starting line-up but also West Ham's entire match day squad. A top-class talent absent just days before the summer window closes - inevitably, eyebrows were raised.

RAHEEM'S BACK

Raheem Sterling 5

Raheem Sterling will be the first to admit that his debut season at the Eithad was somewhat underwhelming for a £50million signing. Perhaps that was largely inevitable, considering the price-tag. But the England international looked worth every penny of it today and appears to be acclimatising to life under Pep Guardiola.

Indeed, the tricky winger opened the scoring after just seven minutes with a calm and composed finish - quashing allegations of a lack of ability in the box - and rounded off the afternoon with another smart strike in stoppage time, rolling the ball under Adrian.

Guardiola's worked with Sterling for not even two months yet but appears to be getting the best out of the former Liverpool youngster already. City fans are finally seeing what their club paid so much money for.

MAN CITY ARE A REAL FORCE - BUT THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE

Manchester City v Sunderland - Premier League

Chelsea and Manchester United have both enjoyed strong starts to the season, but City's first half display against West Ham was arguably the most convincing we've seen in the Premier League so far.

The Citizens were 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes and sustained that pressure until the interval, dominating possession and continually threatening West Ham's backline. In truth, it should have been all over at half-time with Guardiola's boys boasting a very healthy lead over the visitors.

But many feel City will struggle to win the title and transition to life under Pep simultaneously this season and their performance notably dipped in the second half as the Hammers came back into it, courtesy of a goal from Michail Antonio.

Clearly, there's still some work to be done at the Etihad. But if City can reach those heights of the first half consistently, they'll blow away the opposition in this season's title race.